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Sec 


REV.   HENRY   MARTYN,  B.  D. 


LATE    FELLOW    OP     ST.     .TOHn's    COLLEGE,    CAMBRIDGE,  AND  CHAPLAIX 
TO    THE     HONORABLE    BAST    INDIA    COMPANY. 


V^ 


BY   JOHN    SARGENT,  Jun. 


And  hast  borne,  and  hast  patience,  and  for  ray  name's  sake  hast 
labored,  and  hast  not  fainted. ...Rev.  ii,  3. 


First  American  Editio7i, 


BOSTON: 

PUBHSQED    BT     SAMUEL   T.    ARMSTRONG^ 
AND     CROCKER     &      BREWSTER, 

Ko.   50,  Cornhill. 
1820. 


PREFACE 


Before  the  reader  proceeds  fo  the  perusal  of  the 
following  Memoir,  it  may  be  proper  to  inform  him — 
that  the  first  and  second  parts  of  it  have  been  chiefly 
selected  from  various  Journals,  which  Mr.  Martyn 
was  in  the  habit  of  keeping,  for  his  own  private 
use,  and  which,  beginning  with  the  year  1803,  com- 
prehend a  period  of  eight  years.  The  third  part 
is  extracted  from  an  account  which  he  drew  up  of 
his  visit  to  Shiraz  in  Persia;  in  which  some  occa- 
sional observations  on  the  state  of  his  own  mind  and 
feelings  are  interspersed.  It  is  termed  a  Narrative 
by  Mr.  Martyn;  and  had  his  life  been  spared,  it 
-ivas  probably  his  intention  to  have  enlarged  it,  for- 
the  use  of  the  public,  or  perhaps  to  have  commu- 
nicated it,  nearly  in  its  original  shape,  to  his  inti- 
mate friends.  From  the  style  and  manner  of  it,  at 
least,  it  may  be  presumed  not  to  have  been  exclu' 
sively  intended  (as  the  Journals  above-mentioned 
evidently  were,)  for  his  own  recollection  and  bene- 
fit.—The  greater  part  of  these  papers  were  upon 


IV  PREFACE. 

the  point  of  being  destroyed  by  the  writer,  upon 
his  uridertaking  the  voyage  to  Persia;  but,  happily, 
he  was  prevailed  upon,  by  the  Rev.  D.  Corrie,  to 
confide  them  under  a  seal  to  his  care,  and  by  him 
they  were  transmitted  from  India,  to  the  Rev.  C. 
Simeon,  and  J.  Thornton,  Esq.  Mr.  Martyn's  exec- 
utors, in  the  year  1814.  The  Narrative,  which 
was  sent,  by  Mr.  Morier,  from  Constantinople,  came 
into  their  hands  in  the  following  year.  Such  are  the 
materials  from  which  I  have  compiled  the  present 
Memoir, — throughout  the  whole  of  which  I  have 
endeavored,  as  much  as  possible,  to  let  Mr.  Martyn 
speak  for  himself,  and  thus  exhibit  a  genuine  pic- 
ture of  his  own  mind. 

In  making  a  selection  from  a  mass  of  such  valu- 
able matter,  it  has  been  my  anxious  wish  and  sin- 
cere prayer,  that  it  might  prove  subservient  to  the 
interests  of  true  religion.  A  principal  object  with 
me  has  been  to  render  it  beneficial  to  those  disin- 
terested Ministers  of  the  Gospel,  who,  "with  the 
Bible  in  their  hand,  and  their  Savior  in  their 
hearts,"  devote  themselves  to  the  "great  cause"  in 
which  Mr.  Martyn  lived  and  died;  and,  truly,  if  the 
example  here  delineated  should  excite  any  of  those 
servants  of  Christ  to  similar  exertion,  or  if  it  should 
animate  and  encourage  them,  amidst  the  multiplied 
difficulties  of  their  arduous  course,  my  labor  will 
receive  an  eminent  and  abundant  recompence. 

JOHN  SARGENT,  Jvn. 

Grafhaniy  July  7,  1819. 


CONTENTS. 


PART    I. 


PAGE. 

Early  life  of  Mr.  Martyn .  12—19 

His  successful  Academical  course  and  first  serious  im- 
pressions   20 — 30 

He  visits  Cornwall  and  returns  to  Cambridge,  when  he 

becomes  entirely  devoted  to  the  service  of  Christ  .    .  31 — 36 
Is  admitted  to  a  fellowship,  and  gains  some  prizes  in 

the  University       37 

His  tour  through  Wales  to  Cornwall 37— -40 

Returns   to  Cambridge,  and  resolves   to   preach   the 

Gospel  to  the  Heathen  as  a  Missionary 40 — 43 

The  state  of  his  mind  between  the  period  of  deter- 
mining to  become  a  Missionary  and  his  ordination  43 — 66 
Is  appointed  to  the  curacies  of  Trinity  Church  in  Cam- 
bridge and  Lol worth 67 — 69 

His  difficulties  and  discouragements  on  first  exercising 

his  ministry 69 

Executes  the  office  of  Public  Examiner  in  St.  John's      .  70 

Reviews  his  life 71,72 

Visits  London  respecting  a  Chaplainship  to  the  East 

India  Company,  in  consequence  of  pecuniary  losses  73,74 


IV  CONTENTS. 

Returns  to  Cambridge— His  diligence  in  the  ministry — 
His  supreme  regard  to  personal  religion — His  feelings 
when  calumniated  and  ridiculed  and  dehorted  from 
his  Missionary  designs — His  distress  of  mind  after 

metaphysical  inquiries 7S — 84 

Visits  Cornwall  as  it  appeared  for  the  last  time      .    .    .    85 — 88 

His  grief  on  leaving  Cornwall 89,90 

His  journey  from  Cornwall  to  Cambridge 91—93 

His  letter  to  his  youngest  sister 94--9S 

His  great  happiness  and  holy  sensibility  in  the  work  of 

the  ministry 96 — 99 

His  joy  on  the  Sabbath 100 

Chosen  again  examiner  at  St.  John's 101 

His  prospects  and  retrospect 102 

Ordained  Priest 103 

His  sorrow  and  support  at  leaving  Cambridge    .    .    .    104 — 106 
Arrives  in  London — His  occupations — trials— consola- 
tions       107—109 

A  record  of  his  feelings  at  this  season 110—115 

Leaves  London  for  Portsmouth — sails  from  thence — 

arrives  at  Falmouth 115—120 

His  mixed  emotions  at  unexpectedly  visiting  Cornwall 

—his  departure  from  Falmouth 120—124 

His  acu^  mental  misery— His  arrival  at  Cork,  and  joy- 
ful state  of  mind  there- His  ministry  on  board  the 

ship .    125—128 

He  leaves  Cork— A  storm— Mr.  Martyn's  sensations    129—131 
Journal  of  his  voyage  after  the  subsiding  of  the  storm 

till  his  arrival  at  Madeira 132—140 

Extracts  of  letters  from  Funchal 141 

Sailed  from  Funchal  for  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
after  hearing  tliat  the  army  on  board  the  fleet  was 
destined  to  capture  it— Mr.  Martyn's  anxiety  for 
the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  soldiers— His  provi- 
dential escape  in  sailing  to  St.  Salvador  ....  142—145 
A  description  of  St.  Salvador  and  of  the  events  which  ' 

happened  there 145-.15r 

He  leaves  St.  Salvador  for  the  Cape— The  army 
lands— Mr.  Martyn  visits  the  field  of  battle— The 
enemy  surrenders—Mr.  Martyn's  reflections     .    .    157—166 


CONTENTS.  Vll 

His  journal  from  the  time  of  the  capture  of  the  Cape 

till  that  of  his  leaving  it 166—171 

He  is  opposed  in  his  ministry 172 

The  death  of  a  devout  soldier 173 

Mr.  Martyn*s  sentiments  on  approaching  India    .    .  174,175 

Ceylon  discovered 176 

Farewell  sermon  to  the  ship's  company—India  first 

seen i  176,177 

Mr.  Martyn's  journal  during  his  stay  at  Madras     .    .  177 — 179 
Sails  from  Madras — Passes  Juggernaut—Incurs  danger 
from  a  hurricane — And  another  still  greater  from  a 

sand-bank^He  reaches  Calcutta— His  reflections  180—133 


PART  If. 


Prayer  of  Christians  in  Calcutta  answered  in  the  ar- 
rival of  Mr.  Martyn— Having  passed  Dr.  Buchanan 
in  the  Hoogley,  he  is  affectionately  received  by  Mr. 
Brown  at  Aldeen— -His  illness  there 184—186 

Mr.  Martyn's  vigilance  as  a  Missionary — He  will  not 
be  detained  at  Calcutta 187 

The  scenes  he  witnessed  near  Aldeen 188 

He  reads  Hindoostanee  incessantly  —Preaches  at  Cal- 
cutta— The  treatment  he  receives  from  some  of 
his  intemperate  brother- chaplains— The  wise  con- 
duct pursued  by  another  chaplain 189—191 

He  chides  himself  for  over-zealous,  and  (as  it  prov- 
ed) mistaken  censures  of  the  government    .    .    .  192 

Receives  his  appointment  at  Dinapore— Leaves  Cal- 
cutta for  his  station 192— ^195 

The  journal  of  his  voyage  up  the  Hoogley  and  Ganges    196—219 

Reaches    Dinapore— His    plans— discouragements— 

labors 220,321 


V)U  CONTENTS. 

A  trying  conversation  with  a  European,  and  tri- 
umphant reflections  after  it 222 

Discomfort  in  the  society  at  Dinapore — Joy  at  hearing 

from  Christian  friends 223 

Jealousy  of  natives — ignorance  of  Moonshee  and  Pundit  224 

Commencement  of  ministry—Interference  of  his  flock 
at  Dinapore — Expectation  of  an  attack  from  the 

press  at  Calcutta 225,226 

Meditation  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  1807      .    .  227 

Translation  of  parables  into  Hindoostanee  in  pro- 
gress—That of  part  of  the  Church  service  into  the 

same  language  commenced 228 

Jealousy  and  fears  of  the  Europeans  respecting  Mi-. 

Martyn 229 

Disputes  with  Moonshee  and  Pundit 230 — 232 

Arrival  of  Mr.  Corrie  at  Dinapore 232 

The  efltfCts  of  Mr.  Martyn's  ministry — His  opinion 
respecting  the  conversion  of  the  Hindoos,  and  feel- 
ings as  to  their  condition — Resolves  to  interfere  to 

prevent  acts  of  oppression 233—235 

His  journey  to  Buxar  to  marry  a  couple,  with  a  pre- 
vious account  of  the  state  of  his  mind 236 — 239 

Returns  to  Dinapore — Embarrassment  respecting  the 

schools 239,240 

Translation  of  Prayer-Books  and  Parables  complet- 
ed—Public  service  in  Hindoostanee    ......  241 

Mr.  Martyn*s  ministerial  exertions 242 — 244 

His  success  with  some  of  the  officers  at  Dinapore      .  244 

Mr.  Martyn  is  restrained  by  prudence  from  preach- 
ing in  Patna — Corresponds  with  Mr.  Corrie— Pain- 
ed on  account  of  Mr.  Corrie's  illness — Writes  him 
a  letter  of  advice  respecting  his  health — His  own 
health  declines — ^but  he  does  not  desist  from  his 

work 245—248 

Ignorance  of  a  Brahmin  and  a  Ranee    .    .    .    .    .    .  249 

Further  disputes  with  Moonshee  and  Pundit    .    .     .'    250 — 254 
Mr.  Martyn  summoned  to  Monghir — The  state  of 
his  mind  at  this  time — His  voyage  down  the  Gan- 
ges, and  return  to  Dmapore 255—261 

Applications  from  a  Ranee  to  Mr.  Martyn    ....  262 


CONTENTS,  IX 

Difficulties  respecting  the  introduction  of  books  into 
the  schools — Other  causes  of  disquietude — His  faith 
and  patience  and  prudence 262,263 

Mr.  Martyn  draws  up  arguments  against  the  Koran, 
and  is  called  to  decide  a  question  of  great  impor- 
tance respecting  Baptism 264,265 

Mr.  Martyn  engaged  by  Mr.  Brown  in  translating  the 
New  Testament  into  Hindoostanee— His  happiness 
and  perseverance  in  the  work  of  translation     .    .       2 66,2 67 

Afflictive  dispensation  in  the  death  of  his  eldest  sister 
— His  exquisite  suffering  and  entire  resignation  and 
undeviating  diligence  in  his  work 268 — 271 

Sermon  on  the  Mount  introduced  into  the  schools      .  272 

Mr.  Martyn's  wise  and  waiting  spirit — His  love  for 

the  Heathen— His  joy  in  retirement 273,274. 

Mr.  Martyn  is  tried  by  a  severe  disappointment    .     .  275 

Mirza  and  Sabat  arrive  at  Dinapore  to  assist  in  the 
work  of  translation — Mr.  Martyn*s  hopes  and  fears 
and  grief  respecting  Sabat 276—279 

Reflection  on  the  commencement  of  the   year  1808  930 

Mr.  Martyn's  pain  at  losing  the  society  of  Christian 

friends  at  Dinapore c,g^ 

His  anxiety  and  ineffectual  endeavor  to  benefit  the 

native  Christians ^g,. 

Public  worship  in  Mr.  Martyn's  house 283 

The  version  of  the  New  Testament  into  Hindoostanee 
completed c,g^ 

Correspondence  between  Mr.  Martyn  and  Messrs. 
Corrie  and  Brown  until  Mr.  Martyn's  removal  to 

^^^"P°^'^ 286-310 

The  danger  Mr.  Martyn  incurred  in  travelling  to 
Cawnpore— A  description  of  it,  and  of  his  arrival 

at  his  new  station 3jq n^y 

Mr.Martyn's  labor  at  Cawnpore— His  love  of  philology       313,3 14 

He  is  summoned  to  Pretabjush '315 

Mr.  Martyn's  deep  afHiction  at  the  loss  of  his  young- 
est sister .  o-.^  n-,y 

He  preaches  to  the  mendicants 318  319 

Reflections  on  entering  the  year  1809— Mr.  Martyn 

continues  to  preach  to  the  mendicants      ....       52O  "'^i 
2 


X  CONTENTS. 

Is    attacked  by  a  severe  pain   in  the  chest — He  is 

oblis^ed  to  remit  his  ministerial  duty 322,323 

Mr.  C  -rrie  arrives  at  Cawnpnre — Mr.  Brown's  alarm 
respecting  Mr.  Martyn's  health— His  affectionate 
expression  of  his  apprehensions 324 

Mr.  Martyn's  health  sinks  so  much,  that  he  resolves 
to  remove  from  Cawnpore — He  determines  to  visit 
Arabia  and  Pi:rsia 325,326 

Mr.  Brown's  letter  on  this  determination  being  com- 
municated to  him 327 

Mr.  Martyn  leaves  Cawnpore,  and  arrives  at  Aldeen 
and  Calcutta,  from  whence  in  three  months  he 
departs 329—333 


PART  III, 


The  occurrences  which  transpired  between  Mr.  Mar- 
tyn's leaving  India  and  his  ariival  at  Shiraz     .     .  334 — 355 

He  commences  a  translation  of  the  New  Testament 
into  Persian,  and  has  many  private  discussions  with 

the  Mahometans 356 — 370 

A  public  controversy  between  Mr.  Martyn  and  the 

professor  of  Mahometan  law 371 — 376 

Mirza  Ibraheem,  the  preceptor  of  all  the  Moollahs, 
writes  a  treatise  in  defence  of  Mahometanism — Mr. 

Martyn  replies  to  it 376—379 

Mr.  Martyn  exposed  to  some  personal  danger  and 

much  contempt 380 — 382 

An  interview  with  a  Soofie  sage •   .  382 — 384 

Mr.  Martyn  attends  the  levee  of  the  Prime  Minister, 

when  he  is  attacked  by  a  MooUah 385,386 

Candor  of  Mirza  Ibraheem 386 

Mr.  Martyn  visits  Pcrsepolis     . 387—390 


CONTENTS.  XI 

His  account  of  the  fast  of  Ramazan    ...;;.,  391—398 
Mr.  Martyn  commences  a  version  of  the  Psalms  into 

Persian 399 

The  events  of  the  last  month  of  the  year  1811    .    .    .  399—404 
Mr.  Martyn's  reflection  on  the  commencement  of  the 

last  year  of  his  life 404 

The  principal  events  of  the  early  part  of  the  year  1812  405 — 419 
Mr.  Martyn's  bold  confession  of  faith  before  numerous 

Moollahs 420 — 422 

The  Journal  of  the  remainder  of  his  abode  at  Shiraz  423,424 
Mr.  Martyn  leaves  Shiraz  for  Tebriz,  and  arrives  at 

the    King's   camp 425 — 434 

Mr.  Martyn's  intrepid  conduct  before  the  Prime  Min- 
ister of  Persia — His  consolations  under  contemptuous 

treatment ' 435—437 

He  proceeds  to  Tebriz 438—447 

After  an  illness  of  nearly  two  months,  Mr.  Martyn 
leaves  Tebriz  for  Constantinople — He  is  hospitably 
received  at  an  Armenian  monastery, and  after  much 
suffering,  under  which  he  possesses  his  soul  in  peace 

and  patience,  he  expires  at  Tocat       ......  448 — 479 

Mr.  Martyn's  character .   .  479  et  seq. 


MEMOIR. 


PART  I. 


It  has  been  well  observed,  bj  one'*  who  took 
a  profound  view  of  human  nature,  that  there  are 
three  very  different  orbits  in  which  great  men 
move  and  shine,  and  that  each  sphere  of  greatness 
has  its  respective  admirers.  There  are  those  who 
as  heroes,  fill  the  world  with  their  exploits;  they 
are  greeted  by  the  acclamations  of  the  multitude; 
they  are  ennobled  whilst  living,  and  their  names 
descend  with  lustre  to  posterity.  Others  there  are 
who,  by  the  brilliancy  of  their  imagination,  or  the 
vigor  of  their  intellect,  attain  to  honor  of  a 
purer  and  a  higher  kind;  the  fame  of  these  is 
confined  to  a  more  select  number;  all  have  not  a 
discriminating  sense  of  their  merit.     A    third  de- 

^  Pascal. 


14  MEMOIR    OF 

scription  there  is,  distinct  from  both  the  former, 
and  far  more  exalted  than  either;  whose  excel- 
lence consists  in  a  renunciation  of  themselves,  and 
a  compassionate  love  for  mankind.  In  this  order 
the  Savior  of  the  world  was  pleased  to  appear, 
and  those  persons  obtain  the  highest  rank  in  it, 
who,  by  his  grace,  are  enabled  most  closely  to 
imitate   his   example. 

Henry  Martyn,  the  subject  of  this  Memoir, 
was  born  at  Truro,  in  the  county  of  Cornwall,  on 
the  18th  of  February,  1781,  and  appears,  with 
his  family  in  general,  to  have  inherited  a  weak 
constitution;  as  of  many  children,  four  only,  two 
sons  and  two  daughters,  survived  their  father,  Mr. 
John  Martyn,  and  all  of  them,  within  a  short 
period,  followed  him  to  the  grave.  Of  these 
Henry  was  the  third.  His  father  was  originally 
in  a  very  humble  situation  of  life,  having  been  a 
laborer  in  the  mines  near  Gwenap,  the  place  of 
his  nativity.  With  no  education  but  such  as  a 
country  reading  school  afforded,  he  was  compelled, 
for  his  daily  support,  to  engage  in  an  employment, 
which,  dreary  and  unhealthy  as  it  was,  offered 
some  advantages,  of  w^hich  he  most  meritoriously 
availed  himself  The  miners,  it  seems,  are  in  the 
habit  of  working  and  resting  alternately  every 
four  hours;  and  the  periods  of  relaxation  from 
manual  labor,  they  frequently  devote  to  mental 
improvement.  In  these  intervals  of  cessation  from 
toil,  John  Martyn  acquired  a  complete  knowledge 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  15 

of  arithmetic,  and  some  acquaintance  also  with 
mathematics;  and  no  sooner  had  he  gathered 
these  valua?3le  and  substantial  fruits  of  persevering 
diligence,  in  a  soil  most  unfriendly  to  their  growth, 
than  he  was  raised  from  a  state  of  poverty  and 
depression,  to  one  of  comparative  ease  and  com- 
fort: admitted  into  the  office  of  Mr.  Daniel, 
a  merchant  at  Truro,  he  lived  there  as  chief 
clerk,  piously  and  respectably  enjoying  considera- 
bly more  than  a  competency.  At  the  grammar 
school  in  this  town,  the  master  of  which  was  the 
Rev.  Cornelius  Cardew,  D.  D.  a  gentleman  of 
learning  and  talents,  Henry  was  placed  by  hi? 
father  in  Midsummer  1788,  being  then  between 
seven  and  eight  years  of  age.  Of  his  childhood 
previous  to  this  period,  little  or  nothing  can  be 
ascertained;  but  those  who  knew  him,  considered 
him  a  boy  of  promising  abilities. 

Upon  his  first  entering  the  school.  Dr.  Cardew 
observes  "he  did  not  fail  to  answer  the  expectations 
that  had  been  formed  of  him;  his  proficiency  in  the 
classics  exceeded  that  of  most  of  his  school-fellows; 
yet  there  Avere  boys  who  made  a  more  rapid  pro- 
gress, not  perhaps  that  their  abilities  were  superior, 
but  their  application  greater,  for  he  was  of  a  lively 
cheerful  temper,  and  as  I  have  been  told  by  those 
who  sat  near  him,  appeared  to  be  the  idlest 
amongst  them,  and  was  frequently  known  to  go 
up  to  his  lesson  with  little  or  no  preparation,  as  if 
he  had  learned  it  merely  by  intuition, 


l6  MEMOIR    OP 

In  all  schools  there  are  boys,  it  is  well  known, 
who,  from  natural  softness  of  spirit,  inferiority  in 
point  of  bodily  strength,  or  an  unusual  thirst  for 
literary  acquirements,  become  much  secluded  from 
the  rest,  and  such  boys  are  generally  exposed  to  the 
ridicule  and  oppression  of  their  associates.  Henry 
Martyn,  though  not  at  that  time  eminently  stu- 
dious, was  one  of  this  class;  he  seldom  joined  the 
other  boys  in  their  pastimes,  in  which  he  was  not 
an  adept,  and  he  often  suffered  from  the  tyranny 
of  those  older  or  stronger  than  himself. 

"Little  Harry  Martyn,"  for  by  that  name  he 
usually  went,  says  one  of  his  earliest  friends  and 
companions,  "was  in  a  manner  proverbial  among 
his  school-fellows  for  a  peculiar  tenderness  and 
inoffensiveness  of  spirit,  which  exposed  him  to  the 
ill  offices  of  many  overbearing  boys;  and  as  there 
was  at  times  some  peevishness  in  his  manner 
when  attacked,  he  was  often  unkindly  treated. 
That  he  might  receive  assistance  in  his  lessons  he 
was  placed  near  one  of  the  upper  boys,  with  whom 
he  contracted  a  friendship  which  lasted  through 
life,  and  whose  imagination  readily  recals  the 
position  in  which  he  used  to  sit,  the  thankful 
expression  of  his  affectionate  countenance,  when 
he  happened  to  be  helped  out  of  some  difficulty, 
and  a  thousand  little  incidents  of  his  boyish  days." 
— Besides  assisting  him  in  his  exercises,  his  friend, 
it  is  added,  "had  often  the  happiness  of  rescuing 
him  from  the  grasp  of  oppressors,  and  has  never 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  17 

seen  more  feeling  gratitude    than   was  shewn  by 
him  on  those  occasions." 

At  this  school,  under  the  same  excellent  tuition, 
Henry  remained  till  he  was  between  fourteen 
and  fifteen  years  of  age;  at  which  period  he 
was  induced  to  offer  himself  as  a  candidate  for  a 
vacant  scholarship  at  Corpus  Christi  College,  Ox- 
ford. Young  as  he  was,  he  Avent  there  alone, 
without  any  interest  in  the  University,  and  with 
only  a  single  letter  to  one  of  the  tutors:  and, 
there,  he  acquitted  himself  so  well,  though  strongly 
and  ably  opposed,  that  in  the  opinion  of  some  of 
the  examiners,  he  ought  to  have  been  elected. 
How  often  is  the  hand  of  God  seen  in  frustrating 
our  fondest  designs!  Had  success  attended  him, 
the  Avhoie  circumstances  of  his  after-life  would 
have  been  varied;  and  however  his  temporal  in- 
terests might  have  been  promoted,  his  spiritual 
interests  would  probably  have  sustained  a  propor- 
tionate loss. 

It  was  with  sensations  of  this  kind  that  he 
himself  many  years  afterwards  reverted  to  this 
disappointment.  "In  the  autumn  of  1795,"  he 
says,  in  an  account  prefixed  to  his  private  Journal 
of  the  year  1803,  "my  father,  at  the  persuasion  of 
many  of  his  friends,  sent  me  to  Oxford,  to  be  a 
candidate  for  the  vacant  scholarship  at  Corpus 
Christi;  I  entered  at  no  college,  but  had  rooms  at 
Exeter  College,  by  the  interest  of  Mr.  Cc  le  the 
Sub-Rector.     I  passed  the  examination,  I  believe, 


18  -MEMOIR    OF 

tolerably  well;  but  was  unsuccessful,  having  every 
reason  to  think  the  decision  was  impartial.  Had 
I  remained,  and  become  a  member  of  the  Univer- 
sity at  that  time,  as  I  should  have  done  in  case  of 
success,  the  profligate  acquaintance  I  had  there, 
would  have  introduced  me  to  a  scene  of  debau- 
chery, in  which  I  must  in  all  probability,  from  my 
extreme  youth,  have  sunk  forever." 

After  this  repulse,  Henry  returned  home,  and 
continued  to  attend  Dr.  Cardew's  school  till  June 
1797.  That  he  had  made  no  inconsiderable  pro- 
gress, there,  was  evident  from  the  very  creditable 
examination  he  passed  at  Oxford;  and,  in  the  two 
years  subsequent  to  this,  he  must  have  greatly 
augmented  his  fund  of  classical  knowledge:  but  it 
seems  not  to  have  been  till  after  he  had  com- 
menced his  academical  career,  that  his  superiority 
of  talent  was  fully  discovered.  The  signal  success 
of  that  friend  who  had  been  his  guide  and  pro- 
tector at  school,  led  him  in  the  spring  of  this  year 
to  direct  his  views  towards  the  University  of 
Cambridge,  which  he  probably  preferred  to  that 
of  Oxford,  because  he  there  hoped  to  profit  by  the 
advice  and  assistance  to  which  he  w^as  already  so 
much  indebted.  Whatever  might  be  the  cause  of 
this  preference,  it  certainly  did  not  arise  from  any 
predilection  for  mathematics;  for  in  the  autumn 
before  he  went  to  Cambridge,  instead  of  the  study 
of  Euclid  and  Algebra,  he  confesses  that  one  part 
of  the  day  was  dedicated  to  his  favorite  employ- 


REV.    HENRY     BIARTlN.  19 

ment  of  shooting,  and  the  other  to  reading,  for  the 
most  part,  Travels,  and  Lord  Chesterfield's  Let- 
ters,— ''attributing  to  a  want  of  taste  for  mathe- 
matics, what  ought  to  have  been  ascribed  to  idle- 
ness, and  having  his  mind  in  a  roving,  dissatisfied, 
restless  condition,  seeking  his  chief  pleasure  in 
reading,  and  human   praise." 

His  residence  at  St.  John's  College,  Avhere  his 
name  had  been  previously  entered  in  the  summer, 
commenced  in  the  month  of  October  1797;  and, 
it  may  tend  to  shew  how  little  can  be  determined 
from  fi^st  attempts,  to  relate  that  Henry  Martyn 
began  his  mathematical  pursuits  by  attempting  to 
commit  the  propositions  of  Euclid  to  memory. 
The  endeavor  may  be  considered  as  a  proof  of 
the  confidence  he  himself  entertained  of  the  reten- 
tive powers  of  his  mind;  but  it  did  not  supply  an 
auspicious  omen  of  future  excellence. 

On  his  introduction  to  the  University,  happily 
for  him,  the  friend  of  his  "boyish  days"  became 
the  counsellor  of  his  riper  years:  nor  was  this 
most  important  act  of  friendship  either  lost  upon 
him  at  the  time,  or  obliterated  from  his  memory 
in  after  life.  "During  the  first  term,"  he  has 
recorded  in  his  Journal,  "I  was  kept  a  good  deal 
in  idleness  by  some  of  my  new  acquaintances,  but 
the  kind  attention  of  *  *  ^  was  a  principal  means 
of  my  preservation  from  excess."  That  his  time 
was  far  from  being  wholly  misemployed,  between 
October  and  Christmas,  is  evident  from  the  place 


20  MEaiOlR     OF 

he  obtained  in  the  lirst  class,  at  the  public  exam- 
ination of  his  college  in  December;  a  circumstance 
which,  joined  to  the  extreme  desire  he  had  to 
gratify  his  Father,  encouraged  and  excited  him  to 
study  Avith  increased  alacrity;  and  as  the  fruit  of 
this  application,  at  the  next  public  examination  in 
the  summer  he  reached  the  second  station  in  the 
first  class;  a  point  of  elevation,  which  "flattered  his 
pride  not  a  little." 

The  tenor  of  Henry  Martyn's  life  during  this 
and  the  succeeding  year  he  passed  at  college,  was 
to  the  eye  of  the  world  in  the  highest  degree 
amiable  and  commendable.  He  was  outwardly 
moral,  with  little  exception  Avas  unwearied  in 
application,  and  exhibited  marks  of  no  ordinary 
talent.  But  whatever  may  have  been  his  external 
conduct,  and  whatever  his  capacity  in  literary 
pursuits,  he  seems  to  have  been  totally  ignorant  of 
spiritual  things,  and  to  have  lived  "without  God  in 
the  world."  The  consideration,  that  God  chiefly 
regards  the  motives  of  our  actions, — a  considera- 
tion so  momentous,  and  so  essential  to  the  char- 
acter of  a  real  christian,  appears  as  yet  never  to 
have  entered  his  mind:  and  even  when  it  did,  as 
was  the  case  at  this  time,  it  rested  there  as  a 
theoretic  notion  never  to  be  reduced  to  practice. 
His  own  account  of  himself  is  very  striking. 
Speaking  of  June  1799,  he  says,  *  *  *  (the  friend 
alluded  to  before)  attempted  to  persuade  me  that 
I  ought  to  attend  to  reading,  not  for  the  praise  of 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  21 

men,  but  for  the  glory  of  God.  This  seemed 
strange  to  me,  but  reasonable,  I  resolved,  there- 
fore, to  maintain  this  opinion  thenceforth;  but 
never  designed,  that  I  remember,  that  it  should 
affect  my  conduct^  What  a  decisive  mark  this  of 
an  unrenewed  mind! — What  an  affecting  proof 
that  light  may  break  in  on  the  understanding, 
whilst  there  is  not  so  much  as  the  dawn  of  it  on 
the  heart! 

Providentially    for  Henry  Martyn,  he   had   not 
only  the  great   blessing  of  possessing   a    religious 
friend  at  college,  but  the  singular  felicity  likewise 
of  having  a  sister  in  Cornwall,  who  was  a  chris- 
tian of  a  meek,  heavenly,  and  affectionate   spirit; 
to  whom,  as  well  as  to  the  rest   of  his    relations 
there,  he  paid  a  visit  in  the  summer  of  the  year 
1799,  carrying  with  him  no  small  degree  of    aca- 
demical honor,  though  not  all  that  he  had  fondly 
and  ambitiously  expected — for    he    had   lost    the 
prize    for    themes    in  his   college,    and   was    only 
second  again  in  the  first  class  at  the  public  exami- 
nation, when  he   had  hoped  to  have  been  first; — 
a  "double  disappointment,"   which,  to  use  his  own 
words,    "nettled    him   to  the   quick."     It  may   bs' 
well  supposed,  that  to   a  sister,  such  as  his,  her 
brother's  spiritual  welfare  would  be  a  most  serious 
mid    anxious    concern;:     and    that   she    often   con- 
versed with  him  on   the    subject   of  religion,   we 
have    his    own  declaration.      "I    went  home  this 
aummer..  and    was    frequently    addressed   by  my 
I 


22  MEMOIR    OF 

dear  sister  on  the  subject  of  religion;  but  the 
sound  of  the  Gospel,  conveyed  in  the  admonition 
of  a  sister,  was  grating  to  my  ears."  The  first 
result  of  her  tender  exhortations  and  earnest  en- 
deavors was  very  discouraging:  a  violent  con- 
flict took  place  in  her  brother's  mind,  between  his 
convictions  of  the  truth  of  what  she  urged  and  his 
love  of  the  world;  and,  for  the  present,  the  latter 
prevailed:  yet  sisters,  similarly  circumstanced,  may 
learn  from  this  case  not  merely  their  duty,  but 
from  the  Jiiial  result,  the  success  they  may  antici- 
pate from  the  faithful  discharge  of  it. — "I  think,'^ 
he  observes,  when  afterwards  reviewing  this  period 
with  a  apirit  truly  broken  and  contrite,  "I  do  not 
remember  a  time,  in  which  the  wickedness  of  my 
heart  rose  to  a  greater  height,  than  during  my 
stay  at  home.  The  consummate  selfishness  and 
exquisite  irritability  of  my  mind  were  displayed 
in  rage,  malice,  and  envy,  in  pride  and  vain  glory 
and  contempt  of  all;  in  the  harshest  language  to 
my  sister,  and  even  my  father,  if  he  happened  to 
differ  from  my  mind  and  will:  O  what  an  example 
of  patience  and  mildness  was  he!  I  love  to  think 
of  his  excellent  qualities,  and  it  is  frequently  the 
anguish  of  my  heart,  that  I  ever  could  be  base  and 
wicked  enough  to  pain  him  by  the  slightest  neglect. 
O  my  God  and  Father,  why  is  not  my  heart 
doubly  agonized,  at  the  remembrance  of  all  my 
great  transgressions  against  thee  ever  since  I  have 
known  thee  as  such!    I  left  iny  sister  and  father  in 


REV.    HENRY    RIARTYN.  23 

October,  and  him  I  saw  no  more.  I  promised  my 
sister  that  I  would  read  the  Bible  for  myself,  but 
on  being  settled  in  college,  Newton  engaged  all 
my  thoughts." 

At  length  however  it  pleased  God  to  convince 
Henry  by  a  most  affecting  visitation  of  his  prov- 
idence, that  there  was  a  knowledge  far  more 
important  to  him  than  any  human  science;  and 
that,  whilst  contemplating  the  heavens  by  the 
light  of  astronomy,  he  should  devote  himself  to 
His  service,  who  having  made  those  heavens,  did 
in  his  nature  pass  through  them  as  his  Mediator 
and  Advocate.  The  sudden  and  heart-rending 
intelligence  of  the  death  of  his  father  was  the 
proximate,  though  doubtless  not  the  efficient  cause 
of  his  receiving  these  convictions.  How  poignant 
were  his  sufferings  under  this  affliction,  may  be 
seen  in  the  account  he  himself  has  left  of  it: — 
from  whence  it  is  evident,  that  it  was  not  only  a 
season  of  severe  but  of  sanctified  sorrow;  a  seed 
time  of  tears,  promising  that  harvest  of  holiness, 
peace,  and  joy  which  succeeded  it. 

"At  the  examination  at  Christmas  1799,"  he 
writes,  "I  was  first,  and  the  account  of  it  pleased 
my  father  prodigiously,  who  I  was  told  was  lu 
great  health  and  spirits.  What  was  then  my  con- 
sternation, when,  in  January,  I  received  from  my 
brother  an  account  of  his  death!  But  while  I 
mourned  the  loss  of  an  earthly  parent,  the  angek 
in  heaven  were  rejoicing  at  my  being  so  soon  to 


24  IVIEMOIR    OP 

find  an  Iicavenly  one.     As  I  had  no  taste  at  this 
time    for  my  usual  studies,  I  took  up  my  Bible, 
thinking   that   the   consideration   of    religion   was 
rather  suitable  to  this  solemn  time;  nevertheless  I 
often  took  up  other  books  to  engage  my  attention, 
and  should  have  continued  to  do  so,  had  not  *  ^  * 
advised   me   to    make    this    time    an  occasion    of 
serious   reflection.      I    began   with    the    Acts,   as 
being  the  most  amusing;  and,  whilst  I  was  enter- 
tained   with   the  narrative,   I  found  myself  insen- 
sibly   led    to    inquire    more    attentively    into   the 
doctrine  of  the  Apostles.     It  corresponded  nearly 
enough,  with  the  few  notions  I  had  received  in  my 
early  youth.     I  believe  on  the  first  night  after,  I 
began  to  pray  from  a  precomposed  form,  in  which 
I  thanked  God,  in  general,  for  having  sent  Christ 
into  the  world.     But  though  I  prayed  for  pardon, 
I  had  little  sense  of  my  own  sinfulness:  neverthe- 
less I  began  to  consider  myself  as  a  religious  man. 
The  first  time  I  went  to  chapel,  I  saw,  with  some 
degree  of  surprise  at  my  former  inattention,  that, 
in  the  Magnificat,  there  was  a  great  degree  of  joy 
expressed  at  the  coming  of  Christ,  which  I  thought 
but  reasonable.     *  *  *  had  lent  me  Doddridge's 
Rise    and   Progress.     The   first  part  of   which  I 
could  not  bear  to  read,  because    it    appeared  to 
mako   religion    consist    too   much   in    humiliation; 
and  my  proud  and  wicked  heart  would  not  bear  to 
be    brought   down  into  the  dust.     And  ^  ^  *,  to 
whom  I  mentioned  the  gloom  which  I  felt,  after 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  25 

reading  the  first  part  of  Doddridge,  reprobated  it 
strongly. — Alas!  did  he  think  that  we  can  go 
along  the  way  that  leadeth  unto  hfe,  without 
entering  in  at  ^the  straight  gate!'  " 

It  was  not  long  after  Henry  had  been  called 
to  endure  this  gracious  though  grievous  chasten- 
ing from  above,  that  the  public  exercises  com- 
menced in  the  University;  and  although  the  great 
stimulus  to  exertion  was  removed  by  the  loss  of 
his  father,  whom  it  was  his  most  anxious  desire 
to  please,  he  again  devoted  himself  to  his  mathe- 
matical studies  with  unwearied  diligence.  That 
spiritual  danger  exists  in  an  intense  application  of 
the  mind  to  these  studies,  he  was  so  deeply  sensi- 
ble at  a  latter  period  of  his  life,  as  on  a  review  of 
this  particular  time,  most  gratefully  to  acknowl- 
edge, that  "the  mercy  of  God  prevented  the  ex- 
tinction of  that  spark  of  grace  which  his  spirit  had 
kindled."  At  the  moment  of  his  exposure  to  this 
peril  he  was  less  conscious  of  it;  but  we  may  per- 
ceive, from  the  following  letter  to  his  youngest 
sister,  that  he  was  not  wholly  devoid  of  circum- 
spection on  this  head.  Having  shortly,  and  with 
much  simplicity,  announced  that  his  name  stood 
first  upon  the  list  at  the  college  examination,  in 
the  summer  of  the  year  1800,  he  thus  expresses 
himself: — "What  a  blessing  it  is  for  me,  that  I 
have  such  a  sister  as  you,  my  dear  *  *  *,  who  have 
been  so  instrumental  in  keeping  me  in  the  right 
way.     When   I  consider  how  little  humap  assist- 


26  MEMOIR    OF 

ance  you  have  had,  and  the  great  knowledge  to 
which  you  have  attained  in  the  subject  of  rehgion, 
— especially  observing  the  extreme  ignorance  of 
the  most  wise  and  learned  of  this  world,  I  think 
this  is  itself  a  mark  of  the  wonderful  influence 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  the  mind  of  well-disposed 
persons.  It  is  certainly  by  the  spirit  alone  that 
we  can  have  the  will,  or  power,  or  knowledge,  or 
confidence  to  pray;  and  by  Him  alone  we  come 
unto  the  Father  through  Jesus  Christ.  'Through 
Him  we  both  have  access  by  one  Spirit  unto  the 
Father.'  How  I  rejoiced  to  find  that  we  disagreed 
only  about  words!  I  did  not  doubt,  as  you  sup- 
pose, at  all  about  that  joy,  which  true  believers 
feeL  Can  there  be  any  one  subject,  any  one 
source  of  cheerfulness  and  joy,  at  all  to  be  com- 
pared with  the  heavenly  serenity  and  comfort, 
which  such  a  person  must  find,  in  holding  com- 
munion with  his  God  and  Savior  in  prayer — in 
addressing  God  as  his  Father,  and,  more  than  ali, 
in  the  transporting  hope,  of  being  preserved  unto 
everlasting  life,  and  of  singing  praises  to  his  Re- 
deemer when  time  shall  be  no  more.  O  I  do  indeed 
feel  this  state  of  mind  at  times;  but,  at  other 
times,  I  fcei  quite  humbled  at  finding  myself  so 
cold  and  hard-hearted.  That  reluctance  to  prayer, 
that  unwillingness  to  come  unto  God,  who  is  the 
fountain  of  all  good,  w^hen  reason  and  experience 
tell  us,  that  with  him  only  true  pleasure  is  to  be 
found,    seem    to   be    owing   to  Satanic    influence. 


REV.  HENRY  MAKTYI^.  27 

Though  I  think  my  employment  in  hfe  gives  me 
pecuHar  advantages,  in  some  respects,  with  regard 
to  rehgious  knowledge,  yet  with  regard  to  having 
a  practical  sense  of  things  on  the  mind,  it  is  by  far 
the  worst  of  any.  For  the  laborer,  as  he  drives  on 
his  plough,  and  the  w^eaver  who  works  at  his  loom^ 
may  have  their  thoughts  entirely  disengaged  from 
their  w^ork,  and  may  think  w^Ith  advantage  upon 
any  religious  subject.  But  the  nature  of  our  stud- 
ies requires  such  a  deep  abstraction  of  the  mind 
from  all  things,  as  completely  to  render  it  incapable 
of  any  thing  else  during  many  hours  of  the  day. — 
With  respect  to  the  dealings  of  the  Almighty  with 
me,  you  have  heard  in  general  the  chief  of  my  ac- 
count; as  I  am  brought  to  a  sense  of  things  grad- 
ually, there  is  nothing  peculiarly  striking  in  it  to 
particularize.  After  the  death  of  our  father  you 
know  I  was  extremely  low  spirited;  and  like,  most 
other  people,  began  to  consider  seriously,  without 
any  particular  determination,  that  invisible  world 
to  which  he  was  gone,  and  to  which  I  must  one  day 
go.  Yet  still  I  read  the  Bible  unenlightened;  and 
said  a  prayer  or  two,  rather  through  terror  of  a 
superior  power,  than  from  any  other  cause.  Soon 
however  I  began  to  attend  more  diligently  to  the 
words  of  our  Savior  in  the  New  Testament,  and 
to  devour  them  with  delight:  when  the  offers  of 
mercy  and  forgiveness  were  made  so  freely,  I  sup- 
plicated to  be  made  partaker  of  the  covenant  of 
^Tace,  with  eagerness  and  hopej  and  thanks  be  to 


28,  MEMOIR    OF 

the  ever-blessed  Trinity,  for  not  leaving  me  with- 
out comfort.  Throughout  the  whole,  however,  even 
when  the  light  of  divine  truth  was  beginning  to 
dawn  on  my  mind,  I  was  not  under  that  great  ter- 
ror of  future  punishment,  which  I  now  see  plainly 
I  had  every  reason  to  feel:  I  look  back  now  upon 
that  course  of  wickedness,  which,  like  a  gulph  of 
destruction,  yawned  to  swallow  me  up,  with  a 
trembling  delight,  mixed  with  shame  at  having 
lived  so  long  in  ignorance,  and  error,  and  blindness. 
I  could  say  much  more,  my  dear  ^  *  ^,  but  I  have 
no  more  room.  I  have  only  to  express  my  acqui- 
escence in  f7i,ost  of  your  opinions,  and  to  join  with 
you  in  gratitude  to  God,  for  his  mercies  to  us. 
May  he  preserve  you  and  me,  and  all  of  us  to  the 
day  of  the  Lord!" 

How  cheering  to  his  sister  must  it  have  been 
at  a  moment  of  deep  sorrow,  to  receive  such  a 
communication  as  this,  wliich  indicated  a  state  of 
mind  not  thoroughly  instructed  indeed  in  the  mys- 
tery of  faith,  but  fully  alive  to  the  supreme  im- 
portance of  religion.  How  salutary  to  his  own 
mind  to  have  possessed  so  near  a  relation,  to  whom 
he  could  thus  freely  open  the  workings  of  his 
heart!  But  the  chief  cause  under  God,  of  his 
stability  at  this  season  in  those  religious  principles 
which,  by  divine  grace  he  had  adopted,  was  evi- 
dently that  constant  attendance  which  he  now 
commenced  on  the  ministry  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Simeon,  at  Tiinity  Churcli  in  Cambridge;   under 


REV.    HEXHY    MARTYN.  29 

whose  truly  pastoral  instructions,  he  himself  de- 
clares that  he  "gradually  acquired  more  knowledge 
in  divine  things." 

In  the  retrospect  indeed  which  Henry  took  of 
this  part  of  his  life,  he  seems  sometimes  ready  to 
suspect  a  want  of  growth,  and  almost  a  want  of 
vitality  in  his  religion:  but  though  there  may 
have  been  some  ground  for  the  former  cf  these 
suspicions,  there  certainly  was  none,  whatever  his 
humility  may  have  suggested,  for  the  latter. — "1 
can  only  account,"  he  says,  "for  my  being  stationa- 
ry so  long,  by  the  intenseness  with  which  I  pursued 
my  studies,  in  which  I  was  so  absorbed,  that  the 
time  I  gave  to  them  seemed  not  to  be  a  portion  of 
my  existence.  That  in  which  I  now  see  I  was 
lamentably  deficient,  was  a  humble  and  contrite 
spirit,  in  which  I  should  have  perceived  more 
clearly  the  excellency  of  Christ.  The  eagerness 
too  with  which  I  looked  forward  to  the  approach- 
ing examination  for  degrees,  too  clearly  betrayed  a 
heart  not  yet  dead  to  the  world." 

That  a  public  examination  for  a  degree  in  the 
Univei'sity  must  be  a  time  of  painful  solicitude  to 
those  about  to  pass  through  it,  is  obvious — espe- 
cially when  great  expectations  have  been  raised,  and 
worldly  prospects  are  likely  to  be  seriously  affected 
by  the  event.  From  Henry  Marty n  much  was 
expected;  and,  had  he  failed  altogether,  his  tempo- 
ral interests  would  have  materially  suffered.  Nor 
was  he  naturally  insensible  to  those  perturba- 
5 


30  MEMOIR    OF 

tions  which  are  apt  to  arise  in  a  youthful  and 
ambitious  breast.  It  happened  however  (as  he 
was  frequently  known  to  assert,)  that  upon  enter- 
ing the  Senate  House,  in  which  there  was  a  larger 
than  the  usual  proportion  of  able  young  men  as  his 
competitors,  his  mind  was  singularly  composed  and 
tranquillized,  in  the  recollection  of  a  sermon  which 
he  had  heard  not  long  before  on  the  text — "Seek- 
est  thou  great  things  for  thyself — seek  them  not/' 
He  thus  became  divested  of  that  extreme  anxiety 
about  success,  which  by  harassing  his  spirit,  must 
have  impeded  the  free  exercise  of  his  powers. 
His  decided  superiority  in  Mathematics  therefore 
soon  appeared — and  the  highest  academical  honor 
was  adjudged  him  in  January  1801,  a  period  when 
he  had  not  completed  the  twentieth  year  of  his  age. 
Nor  is  it  any  disparagement  to  that  honor,  or  to 
those  who  conferred  it  on  him,  to  record,  that  it 
was  attended,  in  this  instance,  with  that  disappoint- 
ment and  dissatisfaction  to  Avhich  all  earthly  bless- 
ings are  subject.  His  description  of  his  own 
feelings  on  this  occasion  is  remarkable: — "I  ob- 
tained my  highest  wishes,  but  was  surprised  to  find 
I  had  grasped  a  shadow."  So  impossible  is  it  for 
distinctions,  though  awarded  for  successful  exer- 
tions of  the  intellect,  to  fill  and  satisfy  the  mind, 
especially  after  it  has  "tasted  the  gocid  word  of 
God,  and  the  powers  of  the  world  to  come."  So 
certain  is  it,  that  he  who  drinks  of  the  water  of  the 
well  of  this  life  must  thirst  again,  and  that  it  is  the 


REV.     HENRY     MARTYN.  31 

water   which   springs  up  to  everlasting  life,  which 
alone  affords  never-failing  refreshment. 

Having  thus  attained  that  station  of  remarkable 
merit  and  eminence,  upon  which  his  eye  from  the 
first  had  been  fixed,  and  for  which  he  had  toiled 
with  such  astonishing  diligence,  as  to  be  designated 
in  his  college  as  "the  man  who  had  not  lost  an 
hour,"  and  having  received  likewise  the  first  of  two 
prizes  given  annually  to  the  best  proficients  in 
Mathematics,  amongst  those  bachelors  who  have 
just  taken  their  degree, — in  the  month  of  March, 
Henry  again  visited  Cornwall,  where,  amidst  the 
joyful  greetings  of  all  his  friends,  on  account  of  his 
honorary  rewards,  his  youngest  sister  v/as  alone 
dejected,  not  Avitncssing  in  him  that  progress  in 
Christian  knowledge  which  she  had  been  fondly  led 
to  anticipate.  Nor  ought  we  to  attribute  this 
wholly  to  that  ardency  of  affection,  which  might 
dispose  her  to  indulge  in  sanguine  and  somewhat 
unreasonable    expectations. 

Those  who  know  what  human  nature  is^  even 
after  it  may  have  been  renewed  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  will  not  deny  that  it  is  more  than  possible 
that  his  zeal  may  have  somewhat  relaxed  in  the 
bright  sunshine  of  academical  honor;  and  certain  it 
is  that  his  standard  of  duty,  though  superior  to  that 
of  the  world,  was  at  this  time  far  from  reaching 
that  degree  of  elevation  which  it  afterwards 
attained.  Who  can  wonder,  then,  that  a  person 
tremblingly  alive  to  his  best  interests,  should  be  not 


32  IVfEMOIR    OF 

wholly  free  from  apprehension,  and  should  be  con- 
tinually urging  on  his  conscience  the  solemn  sanc- 
tions of  the  Gospel,  entreating  him  to  aim  at  noth- 
ing less  than  Christian  perfection. 

Returning  to  Cambridge  in  the  summer  of  this 
year,  he  past  the  season  of  vacation  most  profit- 
ably: constrained  happily  to  be  much  alone,  he 
employed  his  solitary  hours  in  frequent  commu- 
nion with  his  own  heart,  and  with  that  gracious 
Lord  who  once  blessed  Isaac  and  Nathanael  in 
their  secret  devotions,  and  who  did  not  withhold  a 
blessing  from  his:  ''God  was  pleased  to  bless  the 
solitude  and  retirement  I  enjoyed  this  summer," 
he  observes,  "to  my  improvement;  and  not  till 
then,  had  I  ever  experienced  any  real  pleasure  in 
religion.  I  was  more  convinced  of  sin  than  ever, 
more  earnest  in  fleeing  to  Jesus  for  refuge,  and 
more  desirous    of  the  renewal  of  my    nature. 

It  was  during  this  vacation  also  that  an  intimate 
acquaintance  commenced,  as  much  distinguished 
for  a  truly  parental  regard  on  the  one  hand,  as  it 
was  for  a  grateful,  reverential,  and  filial  affection 
on  the  other.  Having  Ions:  listened  with  no  small 
degree  cf  pleasure  and  profit  to  Mr.  Simeon  as  a 
preacher,  Henry  now  began  to  enjoy  the  happi- 
ness of  an  admission  to  the  most  friendly  and 
unreserved  intercourse  with  him,  and  was  in  the 
habit  of  soliciting  and  receiving  on  all  important  oc- 
casions his  counsel  and  encouragement.  By  Mr. 
Simeon's  kindness  it   was,  that  he   was  now  made 


REV.    HEXRY    MARTYN.  3S 

known  to  several  vounsr  men,  with  some  of  whom 
he  formed  that  most  enduring  of  all  attachments, — 
a  Christian  friendship:  and  it  was  from  his  conversa- 
tion and  example  also,  that  he  imbibed  his  first  con- 
ceptions of  the  transcendent  excellence  of  the 
Christian  ministry:  from  wdiich  it  was  but  a  short 
step,  to  resolve  upon  devoting  himself  to  that 
sacred  calling — for  till  now  he  had  an  intention  of 
applying  to  the  law,  "chiefly,"  he  confesses,  "because 
he  could  not  consent  to  be  poor  for  Christ's  sake." 
The  great  advancement  which  he  had  made  in 
genuine  piety  at  this  period,  from  intercourse  with 
real  Christians,  and  above  cdl  from  secret  commu- 
nion with  his  God,  is  discoverable  in  the  following- 
extracts  from  two  letters — the  first  dated  Septem- 
ber 15,  1801,  and  addressed  to  his  earliest  friend; 
— the  second,  written  a  few  days  afterwards,  to  his 
youngest  sister.  "That  you  may  be  enabled  to  do 
the  will  of  your  heavenly  Father  shall  be,  you  may 
be  assured,  my  constant  prayer  at  the  throne  of 
grace;  and  this,  as  well  from  the  desire  of  promoting 
the  edification  of  Christ's  body  upon  earth,  as  from 
motives  of  private  gratitude.  You  have  been  the 
instrument  in  the  hands  of  Providence  of  brinainof 
me  to  a  serious  sense  of  thinrrs:  for,  at  the  time  of 
my  father's  death,  I  was  using  such  methods  of 
alleviating  my  sorrow,  as  I  almost  shudder  to  recol- 
lect. But,  blessed  be  God,  I  have  now  experien- 
ced that  'Christ  is  the  power  of  God,  and  the  wis- 
dom of  God.'     What  a  blessing  is  the  Gospel!    No 


34  MEMOIR  or 

heart  can  conceive  its  excellency,  but  that  which 
has  been  renewed  by  divine  grace." 
^  "I  have  lateljV'  he  writes  in  the  second  letter, 
"been  witness  to  a  scene  of  distress.  =*  *  =^  in  this 
town,  with  whom  I  have  been  little  acquainted, 
and  who  had  lived  to  the  full  extent  of  his  income, 
is  now  dying,  and  his  family  will  be  left  perfectly 
destitute.  I  called  yesterday  to  know  whether  he 
was  still  alive,  and  found  his  wife  in  a  greater  agony 
than  you  can  conceive.  She  was  wringing  her 
hands,  and  crying  out  to  me,  'O  pray  for  his  soul' — 
and  then  again  recollecting  her  own  helpless-  condi- 
tion, and  telling  me  of  her  wretchedness  in  being 
turned  out  upon  the  wide  world  without  house 
or  home.  It  was  in  vain  to  point  to  heaven;  the 
heart,  distracted  and  overwhelmed  with  worldly 
sorrow,  finds  it  hard  to  look  to  God. — Since  writing 
this,  I  have  been  to  call  on  the  daughters  of  *  *  *, 
who  had  removed  to  another  house  because,  from 
the  violence  of  their  grief,  they  incommoded  the 
sick  man.  Thither  I  went  to  visit  them,  with  my 
head  and  heart  full  of  the  subject  f  was  come  upon; 
and  was  surprised  to  find  tliem  cheerful,  and  thun- 
derstruck to  see  a  Gownsman  reading  a  play  to 
them.  A  play — when  their  father  was  lying  in  the 
agonies  of  death.  What  a  species  of  consolation! 
I  rebuked  him  so  sharply,  and,  I  ani  afraid,  so 
intemperately,  that  a  quarrel  will  perhaps  ensue. 
But  it  is  time  that  I  should  take  some  notice  of  your 
letter:   When  we  consider  the  misery  and  darkness 


REV.    HENRt    MaRTYNv  35 

of  the  unregenerate  world,  O  with  how  much 
reason  should  we  burst  out  into  thanksgiving  to 
God,  who  has  called  us  in  his  mercj  througl^ 
Christ  Jesus!  What  are  we,  that  we  should  be 
thus  made  objects  of  distinguishing  grace!  Who 
then  that  reflects  upon  the  rock  from  which  he 
was  hewn,  but  must  rejoice  to  give  himself  entirely 
and  without  reserve  to  God,  to  be  sanctified  bj  his 
Spirit.  The  soul  that  has  truly  experienced  the 
love  of  God,  will  not  stay  meanly  inquiring  how 
much  he  shall  do,  and  thus  limit  his  service;  but 
will  be  earnestly  seeking  more  and  more  to  know 
the  will  of  his  heavenly  Father,  that  he  may  be 
enabled  to  do  it.  O  may  we  be  both  thus  minded! 
May  we  experience  Christ  to  be  our  all  in  all,  not 
only  as  our  Redeemer,  but  as  the  fountain  of  grace. 
The  parts  of  the  word  of  God  you  have  quoted  on 
this  head,  are  indeed  awakening — may  they  teach 
us  to  breathe  after  holiness,  to  be  more  and  more 
dead  to  the  world,  but  alive  unto  God  through 
Jesus  Christ.  We  are  lights  in  the  world;  how 
needful  then  that  our  tempers  and  lives  should 
manifest  our  high  and  heavenly  calling.  Let  us,  as 
we  do,  provoke  one  another  to  good  works,  not 
doubting  but  that  God  will  bless  our  feeble  endeav- 
ors to  his  glory. — I  have  to  bless  Him  for  another 
mercy  I  have  received,  in  addition  to  the  multitude 
of  which  I  am  so  unworthy,  in  his  having  given  me 
a  friend  indeed,  one  who  has  made  much  about  the 
same  advances  in  religion  as  myself.     We  took  our 


36  MEMOIR    OF 

degrees  together,  but  Mr.  Simeon  introduced  us  to 
each  other. — I  do  not  wonder  much  at  the  back- 
wardness jou  complain  of  before  *  *  %  having 
never  been  in  much  company.  But  the  Christian 
heart  is  ever  overflowing  Avith  good-will  to  the  rest 
of  mankind;  and  this  temper  will  produce  the 
truest  politeness,  of  which  the  affected  grimace  of 
ungodly  men  is  but  the  shadow.  Besides,  the  con- 
fusion felt  m  company  arises  in  general  from  vanity: 
therefore,  when  this  is  removed,  why  should  we 
fear  to  speak  before  the  whole  world?  The 
Gownsman  I  mentioned,  so  far  from  being  offended, 
has  been  thanking  me  for  what  I  said,  and  is  so 
seriously  impressed  with  the  awful  circumstances  of 
death;  that  I  am  in  hopes  it  may  be  the  foundation 
of  a  lasting  change." 

It  will  be  highly  pleasing  to  the  reader  to  know, 
that  the  anticipation  with  which  the  above  letter 
concludes  was  verified.  Mr.  Martyn  had  after- 
wards the  happiness  of  laboring  in  India  together 
with  that  very  person  who  had  been  reproved  by 
him,  and  who,  from  the  divine  blessing  accompany- 
ing that  reproof,  was  then  first  'led  to  appreciate 
the  value  of  the  Gospel. 

From  this  time  to  that  of  proposing  himself  for 
admission  to  a  fellowship  in  his  college,  Mr.  Mar- 
tyn's  engagements  consisted  chiefly  in' instructing 
seme  pupils,  and  preparing  himself  for  the  exami- 
nation, which  was  to  take  place  previous  to  the 
election  in  the  month  of  March  1802,  when  he  was 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  '87 

chosen  fellow  of  St.  John's.  Soon  after  obtaining 
which  situation,  as  honorable  to  the  society  in  the 
appointment,  as  it  was  gratifying  to  himself,  he 
employed  some  of  his  leisure  hours,  as  he  expresses 
it,  in  writing  for  one  of  those  prizes,  two  of  which 
are  given  to  those  who  have  been  last  admitted 
Bachelors  of  Arts:  and  althouijh  there  were  men 
of  great  classical  celebrity,  as  it  was  v/ell  known, 
who  contested  the  palm  with  him,  the  first  prize 
was  assigned  to  him  for  the  best  Latin  prose  com- 
position; a  distinction  the  more  remarkable,  as  from 
his  entrance  at  the  University  he  had  directed  an 
unceasing  and  almost  undivided  attention  to  Mathe- 
matics. Having  thus  added  another  honor  to 
those  for  which  he  had  before  been  so  signally 
distinguished,  Mr.  Martyn  departed  from  Cam- 
bridge, on  a  visit  to  his  relations  in  Cornwall — 
making  a  circuit  on  foot  through  Wenlock,  Liver- 
pool, and  the  vale  of  LangoUen.  Of  this  tour,  (on 
which  he  was  at  first  attended  by  one  of  his 
friends,)  he  has  left  a  Journal,  briefly  and  hastily 
written,  from  with  a  few  extracts,  as  illustrative 
of  his  character,  may  not  prove  uninteresting. 

.  "July  9,  1802.  We  walked  into  Wenlock  along 
a  most  romantic  road.  My  mind,  during  these 
three  days,  has  been  less  distracted  than  I  expected; 
and  I  have  had,  at  times,  a  very  cheering  sense  of 

the  presence  of  my  God." 

"July  10.     I   went  on  board  a  little  sloop,  and 
began  to  beat  down  the  Mersey.     The  Mersey  is 
6 


3a 


MEIMOIR    OF 


here  more  than  four  miles  broad,  and  the  wind  now 
increasing  almost  to  a  storm,  the  ship  was  a  scene  of 
confusion.  One  wave  broke  over  us,  and  wetted  me 
completely  through.  I  think  there  was  some 
danger,  though  the  composure  I  felt  did  not  arise, 
I  fear,  so  much  from  a  sense  of  my  acceptance 
with  God,  as  from  thinking  the  danger  not  to  be 
great.  I  had  still  sufficiently  near  views  of  death, 
to  be  uneasy  at  considering  how  slothful  I  had  been 
in  doing  the  Lord's  work,  and  what  little  meetness 
I  possessed  for  the  kingdom  of  glory.      Learn  then, 

0  my  soul,  to  be  always  ready  for  the  coming  of  thy 
Lord;  that  no  disquieting  fear  may  arise  to  perplex 
thee  in  that  awful  hour," 

"July  23 — -Holywell.  Found  myself  very  low 
and  melancholy.  If  this  arises  from  solitude,  I 
have  little  pleasure  to  expect  from  my  future  tour. 

1  deserve  to  be  miserable,  and  I  wish  to  be  so  if 
ever  I  seek  my  pleasure  in  any  thing  but  God." 

"July  25 — Carewys.  I  did  not  go  to  Church 
fhis  morning  as  the  service  was  in  Welch,  but 
went  through  the  Church  service  at  home — in  the 
evening  read  Isaiah." 

"July  29 — Aber.  Walked  two  miles  into  the 
country  to  see  a  waterfall.  I  followed  the  course 
of  the  stream,  which  soon  brought  me  to  it.  The 
water  falls  three  times  from  the  top — the  last  fall 
appeared  to  be  about  seventy  feet.  While  linger- 
ing about  here,  I  was  put  into  great  terror  by  some 
huge    stones   rolling    down   the    hill    behind   me. 


REV.    HENRY     MARTYN.  3^ 

They  were  thrown  down  by  some  persons  above, 
who  could  not  approach  near  enough  to  the  preci- 
pice, to  see  me  below.  The  slipperiness  of  the 
rocks,  on  which  the  spring  is  continually  falling,  put 
me  in  danger." 

**The  beautiful  and  retired  situation  of  the  inn 
at  Aber,  which  commands  an  extensive  view  of  the 
sea,  made  me  unvvilliitg  to  leave  the  house.  How- 
ever I  set  off  at  eleven,  and  paced  leisurely  to 
Bangor.  It  was  a  remarkably  clear  day.  The  sun 
shone  on  every  object  around  me,  and  the  sea 
breeze  tempered  the  air.  I  felt  happy  af  the 
sight,  and  could  not  help  being  struck  with  the 
beauty  of  the  creation  and  the  goodness  of  the 
God  of  nature." 

"August  6 — Bethgelert.  The  descent,  after 
■ascending  Snowdon,  was  easy  enough,  but  I  cannot 
describe  the  horror  of  the  ascent.  The  deep  dark- 
ness of  the  night,  the  howling  of  the  wind  in  the 
chasms  of  the  rocks,  the  violence  of  the  rain,  and 
the  sullen  silence  of  the  guide,  who  was  sometimes 
so  far  back  that  I  could  hardly  see  him,  all  con- 
spired to  make  the   whole  appear  a  dream." 

"July  31 — Pont  Aberglasslen.  I  met  a  poor 
Welch  pedlar,  with  a  bundle  of  hats  on  his  back, 
who,  on  my  inquiring  the  distance  to  Tan-y-Bwlch, 
told  me  he  was  going  thither.  He  went  by  the 
old  road,  which  is  two  miles  nearer.  It  passes 
over  the  most  dreary  uncultivated  hills  I  ever  saw, 
where  there  is  scarce  any  mark  of  human  industry. 


40  MEMOIR   OF 

The  road  in  most  places  overgrown  with  grass. — 
The  poor  man  had  walked  from  Carnarvon  that 
day,  with  an  enormous  bundle;  and  pointed  with 
a  sorrowful  look  to  his  head;  and  indeed  he  did 
look  very  ill:  he  was  however  very  cheerful: 
what  difference  in  this  man's  temper  and  my  own! 
The  diiference  was  humbling  to  myself:  when 
shall  I  learn  in  whatever  state  I  am  therewith  to 
be  content! 

"August  5.  My  walk  for  ten  miles  was  similar  to 
that  of  the  preceding  evening,  only  still  more 
beautiful,  for  the  Dovey  widened  continually,  and 
the  opposite  hills  were  covered  with  woods:  At 
last  the  river  fell  into  the  sea,  and  the  view  was 
then  fine  indeed.  The  w^eather  was  serene,  and 
the  sea  unruffled.  I  felt  little  fatigue;  and  so  my 
thoughts  were  turned  to  God.  But  if  I  cannot  be 
thankful  to  Him,  and  be  sensible  of  his  presence  in 
seasons  of  fatigue,  how  can  I  distinguish  the  work- 
ings  of  the  Spirit  from  the   ebullitions   of  animal 

jo}-^" 

It  is  in  scenes  and  seasons  of  solitude  and  relaxa- 
tion, such  as  those  here  described,  that  the  true 
bias  of  the  mind  is  apt  to  discover  itself:  in  which 
point  of  view  the  above  account  is  important;  for 
short  as  it  is,  it  evinces  an  habitual  devotedness  to 
the  fear  of  God;  and  great  spirituality  in  the  affec- 
tions. 

This  tour  terminated  in  bringing  Mr.  Martyn 
into  the  bosom  of  his  family;  and  days  more  de- 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  41 

ilghtful  than  those  which  he  then  spent  he  never 
saw  in  this  world.  The  affectionate  reception  he 
met  with  from  his  friends;  the  pious  conversation 
he  held  with  his  sister  on  the  things  dearest  to  his 
heart;  his  sacred  retirements;  and  the  happy  ne- 
cessity imposed  upon  him  of  almost  exclusively 
studying  the  word  of  God — all  conspired  to  pro- 
mote his  felicity.  These  hours  left  for  a  long  time 
"a  fragrancy  upon  his  mind,  and  the  remembrance 
of  them  v/as  sweet." 

"As  my  sister  and  myself,"  he  remarks,  "were 
improved  in  our  attainments,  we  tasted  much  agree- 
able intercourse-  I  did  not  stay  much  at  Truro,  on 
account  of  my  brother's  family  of  children;  but  at 
Woodberry,  with  my  brother-in-law,  I  passed  some 
of  the  sweetest  moments  of  my  life.  The  deep 
solitude  of  the  place  favored  m.editation;  and  the 
romantic  scenery  around  supplied  great  external 
source  of  pleasure.  For  want  of  other  books,  I 
was  obliged  to  read  my  Bible  almost  exclusively; 
and  from  this  I  derived  great  spirituality  of  mind 
compared  with  what  I  had  felt  before." 

In  the  beginning  of  October  1802,  all  these  tran- 
quil and  domestic  joys  were  exchanged  for  the  se- 
verer engagements  of  the  University;  and  the  con- 
clusion of  this  year  constituted  a  memorable  era  in 
Mr.  Martyn's  life.  We  have  already  seen  him  her 
coming  the  servant  of  Christ,  dedicating  himself  to 
the  ministry  of  the  Gospel,  experiencing  the  conso- 
lations of  real  religion,  exhibiting  its  genuine  fruits: 


42  .MEMOIR    OF 

now  we  are  to  behold  him  in  a  yet  higher  character, 
and  giving  the  most  exalted  proofs  of  faith  and  love. 
God,  who  has  appointed  different  orders  and  de- 
grees in  his  Church,  and  who  assigns  to  all  the 
members  of  it  their  respective  stations,  was  at  this 
time  pleased,  by  the  almighty  and  gracious  influ- 
ence of  his  Spirit,  to  call  the  subject  of  this  Memoir 
to  a  work  demanding  the  most  painful  sacrifices 
and  the  most  arduous  exertions, — that  of  a  Chris* 
tian  Missionary.  The  immediate  cause  of  his  deter- 
mination to  undertake  this  office,  was  hearing  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Sinjeon  remark  on  the  benefit  which  had 
resulted  from  the  services  of  a  Missionary*  in  India; 
his  attention  was  thus  arrested,  and  his  thoughts 
occupied  with  the  vast  importance  of  the  subject. 
Soon  after  which,  perusing  the  life  of  David 
Brainerd,  who  preached  with  apostolical  zeal  and 
success  to  the  North  American  Indians,  and  who 
finished  a  course  of  self-denying  labors  for  his  Re- 
deemer, v/ith  unspeakable  joy,  at  the  early  age  of 
thirty-two,  his  soul  was  filled  with  a  holy  emulation 
of  that  extraordinary  man;  and,  after  deep  consid- 
eration and  fervent  prayer,  he  was  at  length  fixed 
in  a  resolution  to  imitate  his  example.  Nor  let 
it  be  conceived  that  he  could  adopt  this  resolution 
without  the  severest  conflict  in  his  mind:  for  he 
was  endued  with  the  truest  sensibility  of  heart,  and 
was  susceptible  of  the  warmest  and  tenderest  at- 

*  Dr.  Carey. 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  43 

tachments.  No  one  could  exceed  him  in  love  for 
his  country,  or  in  affection  for  his  friends;  and  few- 
could  surpass  him  in  an  exquisite  relish  for  the 
various  and  refined  enjoyments  of  a  social  and 
literary  life.  How  then  could  it  fail  of  being  a 
moment  of  extreme  anguish,  when  he  came  to  the 
deliberate  resolution  of  leaving  for  ever  all  he  held 
dear  upon  earth.  But  he  was  fully  satisfied  that 
the  glory  of  that  Savior,  who  loved  him,  and  gave 
himself  for  him,  would  be  promoted  by  his  going 
forth  to  preach  to  the  Heathen:  he  considered 
their  pitiable  and  perilous  condition:  he  thought 
on  the  value  of  their  immortal  souls:  he  remem- 
bered the  last  solemn  injunction  of  his  Lord,  "Go 
and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name 
of  th%  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost" — an  injunction  never  revoked,  and  com- 
mensurate with  that  most  encouraging  promise, 
**Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of 
the  world."  Actuated  by  these  motives,  he  offered 
himself  in  the  capacity  of  a  Missionary"*  to  the 
Society  for  Missions  to  Africa  and  the  East;  and 
from  that  time  stood  prepared,  Avith  a  child-like 
simplicity  of  spirit,  and  an  unshaken  constancy  of 
soul,  to  go  to  any  part  of  the  world,  whither  it 
might  be  deemed  expedierit  to  send  him. 

The  following  letter,  to  his  youngest  sister,  writ- 
ten not  long  after  he  had  taken  this  resolution  to  de- 

*  It  19  now  called  "The  Church  Missionary  Society  for  Africa  and  the 
East,"  and  eminently  deserves  the  cordial  support  of  every  member  of  thf 
t  hnrch  of  En e;! and. 


44  MEMOIR     OF 

vote  himself  to  the  h'fe  of  a  'Missionary,  and  more 
particularlj  some  passages  copiously  extracted  from 
his  private  Journal,  will  strikingly  exhibit  the  varied 
exercises  of  his  mind  at  this  interesting  and  most 
trying  juncture. — From  thence  it  will  be  seen, 
that  he  steadily  contemplated  the  sacrifices  he  must 
make,  and  the  difficulties  he  might  encounter — that 
though  sometimes  cast  down,  he  was  yet  upheld  in 
the  prospect  of  his  great  work,  by  him  who  had 
called  him  to  it — that  his  notions  of  the  character  of 
a  Missionary  were  elevated — his  supplications  for 
grace  and  mercy  incessant — his  examination  of  his 
own  heart,  deep  and  sober  and  searching — in  one 
word  that  he  was  a  man  of  God,  eminently  endued 
with  the  spirit  of  power,  and  of  love,  and  of  a  sound 
mind.  ^ 

"I  received  your  letter  yesterday,  and  thank  God 
for  the  concern  you  manifest  for  my  spiritual  wel- 
fare. O  that  we  may  love  each  other  more  and 
more  in  the  Lord.  The  passages  you  bring  from 
the  word  of  God,  w^ere  appropriate  to  my  case, 
particularly  those  from  the  first  Epistle  of  St» 
Peter  and  that  to  the  Ephesians,  though  I  do  not 
seem  to  have  given  you  a  right  view  of  my  state. 
The  dejection  I  sometimes  labor  under,  seems  not 
to  arise  from  doubts  of  my  acceptance  with  God, 
though  it  tends  to  produce  them;  nor  from  de- 
sponding views  of  my  own  backwardness  in  the 
divine  life,  for  I  am  more  prone  to  self-dependence 
and   conceit;   but  from  the    prospect  of  the  difJ- 


REV.    HENRY    MARTY N.  4^ 

cultics  I  have  to  encounter  in  the  whole  of  my  fu^ 
lure  life.  The  thought  that  I  must  be  unceas- 
ingly employed  in  the  same  kind  of  work  amongst 
poor  ignorant  people,  is  what  my  proud  spirit  re- 
volts at.  To  be  obliged  to  submit  to  a  thousand 
uncomfortable  things  that  must  happen  to  me, 
whether  as  a  minister  or  a  missionary,  is  Avhat  the 
flesh  cannot  endure.  At  these  times  I  feel  neither 
love  to  God  or  man,  and  in  proportion  as  these 
graces  of  the  Spirit  languish,  my  besetting  sins — 
pride  and  discontent  and  unwillingness  for  every 
duty,  make  me  miserable.  You  will  best  enter 
into  my  views  by  considering  those  texts,  which 
serve  to  recal  me  to  a  right  aspect  of  things.  I 
have  not  that  coldness  in  prayer  you  would  expect, 
but  generally  find  myself  strengthened  in  faith  and 
humility  and  love  after  it:  but  the  impression  is 
so  short.  I  am  at  this  time  enabled  to  give  my- 
self, body,  soul,  and  spirit,  to  God,  and  perceive  it 
to  be  my  most  reasonable  service.  How  it  may  be 
when  the  trial  comes  I  know  not,  yet  I  will  trust 
and  not  be  afraid.  In  order  to  do  his  will  cheer- 
fully, I  want  love  for  the  souls  of  men  to  suffer  it:  I 
want  humility:  let  these  be  the  subjects  of  your 
supplications  for  me.  I  am  thankful  to  God  that 
you  are  so  free  from  anxiety  and  care:  we  cannot 
but  with  praise  acknowledge  his  goodness.  What 
does  it  signify  whether  w^e  be  rich  or  poor,  if  we 
are  sons  of  God?  How  unconscious  are  they  of  their 
real  greatness,  and  will  be  so  till  they  find  them- 


46  MJExAIOIR   OF 

selves  in  glory!  When  we  contemplate  our  ever- 
lasting inheritance,  it  seenas  too  good  to  be  true; 
yet  it  is  no  more  than  is  due  to  the  blood  of  God 
manifest  in  the  flesh. 

"A  journey  I  took  last  week  into  Norfolk,  seems 
to  have  contributed  greatly  to  my  health.     The  at- 
tention  and  admiration  shewn   me   are  great  and 
very  dangerous.     The  praises  of  men  do  not  now 
indeed  flatter  my  vanity  as  they  formerly  did;    I 
rather   feel  pain  through  anticipation  of  their  con- 
sequences; but  they  tend  to  produce  imperceptibly 
a  self-esteem  and  hardness  of  heart.     How   awful 
and    awakening    a    consideration    is  it,  that  God 
judgeth  not  as  man  judgeth!    Our  character  before 
him  is  precisely  as  it  was  before  or  after  any  change 
of  external  circumstances.     Men   may  applaud  or 
revile,  and  make  a  man  think  diflerently  of  himself; 
but  he   judgeth  of  a  man  according  to  his  secret 
walk.     How  diflicult  is  the  work  of  self-examinationl 
Even  to  state  to  you  imperfectly  my  own  mind,  I 
found  to  be  no  easy  matter.     Nay,  St.  Paul  says, 
'I  judge  not  mine  own  self,  for  he  that  judgeth  me 
is  the  Lord.'     That  is,  though  he  was  not  conscious 
of  any  allowed  sin,  yet  he  was  not  hereby  justified, 
for  God  might  perceive  something  of  Avhich  he  was 
not  aware.     How  needful  then  the  prayer  of  the 
Psalmist,  'Search  me,  O  God,  and  try  my  heart,  and 
see  if  there  be  any  evil  way  in  me.'     May   God  be 
with  you  and  bless  you,  and  uphold  you  with  the 
right  hand  of  his  righteousness:  and  let  us  seek  to 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  4^ 

iore,  for  he  that  dwelleth  in  love  dwelleth  in  God, 
for  God  is  love." 

In  a  Journal  replete  with  sentiments  of  most 
ardent  piety,  we  meet  Avith  the  following  reflections, 
recorded  in  the  interval,  between  the  latter  end  of 
the  year  1802,  the  time  when  he  first  resolved  to 
serve  Christ  as  a  Missionary,  and  the  autumn  of 
the  year  1803,  when  he  was  admitted  into  Holy 
Orders. 

But  let  us  hear  his  reasons  for  keeping  such  a 
record  of  the  state  of  his  mind: — "I  am  convinced 
that  Christian  experience  is  not  a  delusion — whether 
mine  is  so  or  not  will  be  seen  at  the  Jast  day — my 
object  in  making  this  Journal,  is  to  accustom  myself 
to  self-examination,  and  to  give  my  experience  a 
visible  form,  so  as  to  leave  a  stronger  impression  on 
the  memory,  and  thus  to  improve  my  soul  in  holi- 
ness— for  the  review  of  such  a  lasting  testimony 
will  serve  the  double  purpose  of  conviction  and  con* 
solation." 

Divided  as  Christians  are  in  judgment  respecting 
the  general  utility  of  a  religious  diary,  there  can  be 
but  one  opinion  amongst  them  respecting  the  un- 
common excellence  of  the  following  observations. 

<'Since  I  have  endeavored  to  divest  myself  of 
every  consideration  independent  of  religion,  I  see 
the  difficulty  of  maintaining  a  liveliness  in  devotion 
for  any  considerable  time  together;  nevertheless  as 
I  shall  have  to  pass  the  greater  part  of  my  future 
life,  after  leaving  England,  with  no  other  source  of 


48  MEMOIR    OF 

happiness  than  reading,  meditation,  and  prayer,  I 
think  it  right  to  be  gradually  mortifying  myself  to 
every  species  of  worldly  pleasure." — "In  all  my  life 
I  have  fixed  on  some  desirable  ends,  at  different 
distances,  the  attainment  of  which  was  to  furnish  me 
with  happiness.  But  now  in  seasons  of  unbelief, 
nothing  seems  to  lie  before  me  but  one  vast  unin- 
teresting wilderness,  and  heaven  appearing  but 
dimly  at  the  end.  Oh!  how  does  this  shew  the 
necessity  of  living  by  faith!  What  a  shame  that  I 
cannot  make  the  doing  of  God's  will  my  ever  de- 
lightful object,  and  the  prize  of  my  high  calling,  the 
mark  after  which  I  press!" 

"I  was  under  disquiet  at  the  prospect  of  my 
future  work,  encompassed  with  difficulties;  but  I 
trusted  I  was  under  the  guidance  of  infinite  wisdom, 
and  on  that  I  could  rest."  "=^  ^  *,  who  had  re- 
turned from  a  mission,  observed  that  the  crosses  to 
be  endured  were  far  greater  than  can  be  conceived: 
but  'none  of  these  things  move  me,  neither  count  I 
my  life  dear  unto  me,  so  that  I  might  fmish  my 
course  with  joy.' " — "Had  some  disheartening 
thoughts  at  night,  at  the  prospect  of  being  stripped 
of  every  earthly  comfort;  but  who  is  it  that  maketh 
my  comforts  to  be  a  source  of  enjoyment?  Cannot 
the  same  make  cold  and  hunger  and  nakedness  and 
peril  to  be  a  train  of  ministering  angels,  conducting 
me  to  glory?" — "O  my  soul,  compare  thyself  with 
St.  Paul,  and  with  the  example  and  precepts  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Was  it  not  his  meat  and  drink 
to  do  the  will  of  his  heavenly  Father?" 


REV.    ^ENRY    BIARTYN.  49 

"Finished  the  account  of  Dr.  Vanderkemp,  and 
longed  to  be  sent  to  China.  But  I  may  reasonably 
doubt  the  reahty  of  every  gracious  affection,  they 
are  so  Hke  the  morning  cloud,  and  transient  as  the 
early  dew.  If  I  had  the  true  love  of  souls,  I  should 
long  and  labor  for  those  around  me,  and  afterwards 
for  the  conversion  of  the  Heathen." 

"I  had  distressing  thoughts  about  the  little 
prospect  of  happiness  in  my  future  life.  Though 
God  has  not  designed  man  to  be  a  solitary  being, 
yet  surely  the  child  of  God  would  delight  to  pour 
out  his  soul  for  whole  days  together  before  God. 
Stir  up  my  soul  to  lay  hold  on  thee,  and  remove 
from  me  the  cloud  of  ignorance  and  sin  that  hides 
from  me  the  glory  of  Jehovah,  the  excellency  of 
my  God." — "I  found  Butler's  Analogy  useful  in 
encouraging  me  to  self-denial,  by  the  representa- 
tion he  gives  of  this  life,  as  a  state  of  discipline  for 
a  better." — "Since  adopting  the  Gospel  as  the 
ground  of  my  hope  and  rule  of  my  life,  I  feel  the 
force  of  the  argument  drawn  from  its  exalted  mo- 
rality. In  so  large  a  work  as  the  Bible,  by  so 
many  writers,  in  such  different  ages,  never  to  meet 
with  any  thing  puerile  or  inconsistent  with  their 
own  views  of  the  Deity,  is  a  circumstance  un- 
paralleled in  any  other  book." — Respecting  what 
is  called  the  experience  of  Christians,  it  is  certain 
we  have  no  reason  from  the  mere  contemplation  of 
the  operations  of  our  own  minds,  to  ascribe  them 
to  an  extrinsic  agent,  because  they  arise  from  theif 


50  MEIMOIR    (^ 

proper  causes,  and  are  directed  to  their  proper 
ends.  The  truth  or  falsehood  of  pretences  to  the 
experience  of  divine  agency,  must  depend  on  the 
truth  or  falsehood  of  Scripture:  that  warrants  us 
sufficiently — for  it  informs  us,  that  it  is  'God  that 
worketh  in  us  both  to  will  and  to  do,  of  his  good 
pleasure;'  which  passage,  while  it  asserts  the  re- 
ality of  God's  influence,  points  out  also  the  manner 
of  his  acting,  for  he  works  in  us  to  will  before  he 
works  in  us  to  da  This  effectually  guards  against 
Jmiaticism,  for  no  one  will  pretend  he  ever  put  his 
finger  on  those  myst-erious  springs  that  move  the 
will,  or  knows  what  they  be;  and  therefore  he 
cannot  say,  noiv  God  is  exerting  his  influence. 
He  may  reasonably  indeed  and  ought  to  ascribe 
every  good  thought  to  God,  but  still  every  good 
thing  in  him  is  but  the  effect  of  something  preced- 
ing his  fii'st  perception,  therefore  is  posterior  to  the 
moving  cause,  which  must  hence  be  forever  con- 
cealed from  the  immediate  knowledge  of  man." 
"  *  ^  *  came,  and  Ave  resumed  our  exercises  of 
reading  and  prayer:  though  it  be  true  that  the  more 
strict  our  obedience  is,  the  more  evidently  does  the 
imperfection  of  it  appear,  yet  I  think  it  reasonable 
to  be  thankful  that  I  have  received  grace,  fo  stir 
one  single  step  this  day  towards  the  kingdom  of 
heaven." — ^"After  my  prayers,  my  mind  seems 
touched  with  humility  and  love,  but  the  impression 
decays  so  soon!  Resolved  for  the  future  to  use 
more  watchfulness  in  reading  and  prayer." — ''My 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  51 

prayers  have  been  frequent  of  late,  but  I  cannot 
realize  the  presence  of  the  Almighty  God.  I  have 
not  enjoyed  communion  with  him,  or  else  there 
would  not  be  such  strangeness  in  my  heart  towards 
the  world  to  come." — "In  my  walk  out,  and  during 
the  remainder  of  the  day,  the  sense  of  my  own 
weakness  and  worthlessness  called  me  to  watchful- 
ness and  dependence  on  the  grace,  of  Christ." — - 
"My  soul  rather  benumbed  than  humble  and  con- 
trite, tired  with  watchfulness,  though  so  short  and 
so  feeble." — "Sudden  flashes  of  faint  affection 
to-day,  which  raised  self-satisfaction,  but  no  abiding 
humiliation."— "Talked  with  much  contemptuous 
severity  about  conformity  to  the  world;  alas!  all 
that  is  done  in  this  way,  had  better  be  left  undone," 
— "This  was  a  day  w^lien  I  could  only  by  transient 
glimpses  perceive  that  all  things  Avere  'loss  for  the 
excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my 
Lord.' 

"I  am  not  conscious  of  any  particular  back- 
sliding from  God;  I  think  my  prayers  have  been 
more  earnest;  yet  the  views  of  my  own  heart  have 
produced,  not  humiHty,  but  discontent,  because  I 
suppose  they  are  grating  to  pride." — "What  is  the 
state  of  my  own  soul  before  God?  I  believe  that  it  is 
right  in  principle:  I  desire  no  other  portion  but  God: 
but  I  pass  so  many  hours  as  if  there  were  no  God 
at  all.  I  live  far  below  tlie  hope,  comfort,  and 
holiness  of  the  Gospel:  but  be  not  slothful,  O  my 
aoul,  look  unto  Jesus  the  author  and  finisher  of  thy 


^2  3iejMoir  or 

faith.  For  whom  was  grace  intended  if  not  for  me? 
Are  not  the  promises  made  to  me?  Is  not  my 
Maker  in  earnest,  when  he  declareth  he  willeth  my 
sanctification,  and  hath  laid  help  on  one  that  is 
mighty?  I  will  therefore  have  no  confidence  in  the 
flesh,  but  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  and  the  joy  of  the 
Lord  shall  be  my  strength.  May  I  receive  from 
above  a  pure,  a  humble,  a  benevolent,  a  heavenly 
mind!" 

"Rose  at  half-past  five,  and  walked  a  little  before 
chapel,  in  a  happy  frame  of  mind.  Endeavored  to 
maintain  affectionate  thoughts  of  God  as  my  Father, 
on  awaking  in  the  morning.  Setting  a  watch  over 
my  first  thoughts,  and  endeavoring  to  make  them 
humble  and  devout,  I  find  to  be  an  excellent  prep- 
aration for  prayer,  and  a  right  spirit  during  the  day. 
I  was  in  a  happy  frame  most  of  the  day;  towards 
the  evening,  from  seeking  to  maintain  this  right 
state  by  my  own  strength,  instead  of  giving  it  per- 
manency by  faith  in  Jesus,  I  grew  tired  and  very 
insensible  to  most  things.  At  chapel  the  sacred 
melody  wafted  my  soul  to  heaven:  the  blessedness 
of  heaven  appeared  so  sweet,  that  the  very  possi- 
bility of  losing  it  appeared  terrible,  and  raised  a 
little  disquiet  with  my  joy.  After  all,  I  had  rather 
live  in  an  humble,  and  dependent .  spirit,  for  then 
perceiving  underneath  me  the  everlasting  arms,  I 
can  enjoy  my  security." — "Amid  the  joyous  affec- 
tions of  this  day,  I  quickly  forgot  my  own  worth- 
lessness  and  helplessness,  and  thus  looking  off  from 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYJf.  5^3 

Jesus,  found  myself  standing  on  slippery  ground. 
But  oh!  the  happiness  of  that  state,  Avhere  pride 
shall  never  intrude  to  make  our  joys  an  occasion  of 
sorrow." 

"Rose  at  six,  and  passed  the  morning  in  great 
tranquillity.  Learnt  by  heart  some  of  the  three 
first  chapters  of  Revelation.  This  is  to  me  the 
most  searching  and  alarming  part  of  the  Bible.; 
yet  now  with  humbling  hope  I  trusted,  that  the 
censures  of  my  Lord  did  not  belong  to  me;  except 
that  those  Avords,  Rev.  ii,  3, — *For  my  name's 
sake  thou  hast  labored  and  hast  not  fainted^' 
were  far  too  high  a  testimony  for  me  to  think  of 
appropriating  to  myself;  nevertheless  I  besought 
the  Lord,  that  whatever  I  had  been,  I  might  now 
be  perfect  and  complete  in  all  the  will  of  God." — 
"Men  frequently  admire  me,  and  I  am  pleased, 
but  I  abhor  the  pleasure  I  feel;  oh!  did  they  but 
know  that  my  root  is  rottenness!" — "Heard  Pro- 
fessor Farish  preach  at  Trinity  Church  on  Luke 
xii,  4,  5,  and  was  deeply  impressed  with  the  rea- 
sonableness and  necessity  of  the  fear  of  God.  Felt 
it  to  be  a  light  matter  to  be  judged  of  man's  judg- 
ment; why  have  I  not  awful  apprehensions  of  th^ 
glorious  Being  at  all  times?  The  particular  promise 
— 'him  that  overcometh  will  I  make  a  pillar  in 
the  temple  of  my  God,  and  he  shall  go  no  more 
out,'  &;c.  dwelt  a  long  time  on  my  mind,  and 
diffused  an  affectionate  reverence  of  God." — "I 
see  a  great  work  before  me  now,  namely  the  sub- 
8 


54  MEMOIR    OF 

duJiig  and  mortifying  of  my  perverted  will.  What 
am  I  that  I  should  dare  to  do  my  own  will,  even 
if  I  were  not  a  sinner; — but  now  how  plain,  how 
reasonable  to  have  the  love  of  Christ  constraining 
me  to  be  his  faithful  willing  servant,  cheerfully 
taking  up  the  cross  he  shall  appoint  me." — "Read 
some  of  Amos  with  Lowth.  The  reading  of  the 
Scriptures  is  to  me  one  of  the  most  delightful  em- 
ployments. One  cannot  but  be  charmed  with  the 
beauty  of  the  imageiy,  while  they  never  fail  to 
inspire  me  with  aw^ful  thoughts  of  God  and  his 
hatred  of  sin." — "The  reading  of  Baxter's  Saint's 
Rest  determined  me  to  live  more  in  heavenly  med- 
itation."— "Walked  by  moonlight,  and  found  it 
a  sweet  relief  to  my  mind  to  think  of  God,  and 
consider  my  ways  before  him.  I  was  strongly 
impressed  with  the  vanity  of  the  world,  and  could 
not  help  wondering  at  the  imperceptible  operation 
of  grace,  which  had  enabled  me  to  resign  expec- 
tations of  happiness  from  it." — "How  frequently 
has  my  heart  been  refreshed,  by  the  description  in 
the  Scriptures  of  the  future  glory  of  the  Church, 
and  the  happiness  of  man  hereafter." — "I  felt  the 
force  of  Baxter's  observation,  that  if  an  angel  had 
appointed  to  meet  me,  I  should  be  full  of  awe — 
how  much  more  when  I  am  about  to  meet  God." — 
"In  my  usual  prayer  at  noon,  besought  God  to 
give  me  a  heart  to  do  his  will." — "For  poor  *  *  * 
I  interceded  most  earnestly,  even  with  tears," 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  9^ 

That  one  thus  eminently  watchful  and  holy, 
who,  "counted  all  things  but  loss  for  the  excel- 
lency of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  his  Lord," 
should  speak  of  himself  in  the  strongest  terms  of 
self-condemnation^  will  appear  incongruous  to  those 
only  who  forget  that  the  prophet,  who  uttered  in 
the  presence  of  Jehovah  the  words  of  submissive 
devotion,  "Here  am  I,  send  me,"  exclaimi&d  at  the 
same  time,  in  the  lowly  language  of  contrition, 
*'Woe  is  me,  for  I  am  undone,  I  am  a  man  of  pol- 
luted lips;"  and  that  it  was  when  the  Laodiceans 
ceased  to  know  that  they  were  "wretched  and 
miserable  and  poor  and  blind  and  naked,"  that 
they  became  defective  in  zeal  for  the  glory  of  their 
Savior.  Whoever  considers  that  tenderness  of 
conscience  is  found  always  in  an  exact  proportion 
to  fervent  desires  after  an  entire  conformity  to  the 
divine  image,  will  be  prepared  to  expect,  and 
pleased  to  peruse,  such  humble  confessions  and 
sacred  aspirations  as  Mr.  Martyn's,  which  seem  to 
bring  us  back  to  the  days  of  Ephraim  the  Syrian 
and  St.  Augustine. — "The  essence  of  Evangelical 
humiliation,"  observes  the  celebrated  writer^  on 
the  Religious  Affections,  "consists  in  such  humility 
as  becomes  a  creature  under  a  dispensation  of 
grace,  consisting  in  a  mean  esteem  of  himself  as 
nothing,  and  altogether  contemptible  and  odious, 
attended  with  a  mortification  of  a  disposition  to 

Jonathan  Edwards. 


56  i\IE3I0IR    OF 

exalt  liimself,  and  a  free  renunciation  of  his  own 
glory. — He  that  lias  much  grace,  apprehends  much 
more  than  others  that  great  height  to  which  his 
love  ought  to  ascend,  and  he  sees  better  than  others 
how  little  a  way  he  has  risen  towards  that  height, 
and,  therefore,  estimating  his  love  by  the  whole 
height  of  his  duty,  it  appears  astonishingly  little 
and  lowlfe  his  eyes. — It  most  demonstrably  appears 
that  true  grace  is  of  tliat  nature,  that  the  more  a 
person  has  of  it  with  remaining  corruption,  the  less 
does  his  goodness  and  holiness  appear  in  proportion, 
not  only  to  his  past  deformity,  but  to  his  present 
deformity,  in  the  sin  that  now  appears  in  his  heart, 
and  in  the  abominable  effects  of  his  highest  affec- 
tions and  brightest  experience.'' — What  better  com- 
ment can  be  found  on  these  profoundly  scriptural 
remarks  of  a  divine,  who  stood  singularly  high  in 
Mr.  Martyn's  estimation,  than  the  self-abasing  ac- 
knowledgments of  his   which   follow.'* 

"What  a  sink  of  corruption  is  the  heart!  and 
yet  I  can  go  from  day  to  day  in  self-seeking  and 
self-pleasing.  Lord,  shew  me  myself,  nothing  but 
wounds  and  bruises  and  putrifying  sores,  and  teach 
me  to  live  by  faith  on  Christ  my  all." — "I  fear 
the  exemption  from  assaults,  either  external  or 
internal,  is  either  in  itself  a  bad  symptom  of  self- 
ignorance,  or  leads  to  pride  and  self-seeking.  Re- 
veal to  me  the  evil  of  my  heart,  O  thou  heart- 
searching  God." 


REV.  HENRY  MARTYN.  57 

"I  feel  a  sad  strangeness  between  God  and  my 
soul  from  careless  unbelieving  prayer.  I  am  afraid 
the  work  of  grace  is  but  shallow.  I  pray,  but 
look  not  for  an  answer  from  above:  but  while  I 
consider  at  the  times  of  prayer  every  grace  as 
coming  from  God,  yet  in  the  general  tenor  of  my 
course,  I  seem  to  lay  the  greater  stress  on  ray 
endeavors,  heedless  of  the  strength  of  Cffrist'' — 
"How  much  better  is  it  to  have  a  peaceful  sense 
of  my  own  wretchedness,  and  a  humble  waiting 
upon  God  for  sanctifying  grace,  than  to  talk  much 
and  appear  to  be  somebody  in   religion!" 

"O  my  God,  who  seest  me  write,  and  recordest 
in  the  book  of  thy  remembrance  more  faithfully 
my  sins  and  backslidings;  bring  down  my  soul  to 
repent  in  dust  and  ashes  for  my  waste  of  time, 
carnal  complacency  and  self-sufficiency.  I  would 
desire  to  devote  myself  anew  to  thee  in  Christj 
though  I  fear  I  hardly  know^  what  it  means,  so 
great  is   really   my  ignorance  of  myself." 

"Short  and  superficial  in  prayer  this  morning, 
and  there  undoubtedly  is  the  evil.  Read  Lowth — 
Learnt  l/)th  John;  and  endeavored  faintly  to  be 
drawing  nigh  unto  God.  Read  D.  Brainerd's 
Journal  in  the  afternoon.  At  Mr.  Simeon's  church 
this  evening,  my  mind  w^as  wandering  and  stupid. 
His  sermon  was  very  impressive,  on  Rev.  iii,  2. 
Thanks  to  God  that  though  my  graces  are  declin- 
ing, and  my  corruptions  increasing,  I  am  not 
unwilling  to  be  reclaimed.     For  with  all  this  evil 


S8  MEMOIR   OF 

in  my  heart,  I  would  not,  could  not  choose  any 
other  than  God  for  my  portion." — "At  dear  Mn 
Simeon's  rooms,  I  perceived  that  I  had  given  hini 
pain  by  inattention  to  his  kind  instructions.  Base 
wretch  that  I  am,  that  by  carelessness  and  unmor- 
tified  pride,  I  should  thus  ungratefully  repay  his 
unexampled  kindness.  But  if  the  sense  of  ingrati- 
tude to  man  be  thus  painful,  what  ought  I  not  to 
feei  in  reference  to  God,  that  good  and  holy  Being, 
whose  sparing  mercy  keeps  me  out  of  hell,  though 
I  daily  dishonor  Christ,  and  grieve  his  holy  Spirit! 
But  O  my  soul!  it  is  awful  to  trifle  in  religion.  Con- 
fession is  not  repentance,  neither  is  the  knowledge 
of  sin  contrition." — "Hearing  I  was  to  meet  two 
men  who  were  not  serious,  I  felt  pride,  contempt, 
and  discontent,  to  be  the  torment  of  my  heart." — 
"Condemn  myself  for  not  exerting  myself  in  doing 
good  to  man,  by  visiting  the  sick,  &:c.  Certainly 
every  grace  must  be  in  exercise,  if  we  would  enjoy 
the  communion  of  the  perfect  God.  'I  am  the 
Almighty  God,  walk  before  me,  and  be  thoM 
perfect.'  Every  wheel  of  the  chariot  must  be  in 
motion  to  gain  the  race." 

"Was  in  a  composed  state,  but  security  led  to 
pride.  On  my  looking  up  to  God,  for  pardon  of 
it,  and  for  deliverance  from  it,  I  feel  overwhelmed 
with  guilt.  How  fast  does  pride  ripen  the  soul 
for  hell!" — "Retained  the  manna  of  past  experience 
till  it  putrified  in  my  hands." — "How  utterly  forget- 
ful have  I  been  this  day  of  the  need  of  Christ's 


REY.    HENRY    MARTYR.  59 

grace,  of  my  own  poverty  and  vileness!  Let  me 
then  remember,  that  all  apparent  joy  in  God  with- 
out humility,  is  a  mere  delusion  of  Satan." — "This 
is  my  birth-day,  and  I  am  ashamed  to  review  it. 
Lord  Jesus,  watch  over  me  in  the  deceitful  calm! 
Let  me  beware  of  the  lethargy,  lest  it  terminate 
in  death.  1  desire  on  this  day  to  renew  my  vows 
to  the  Lord,  and  O  that  every  succeeding  year  of 
my  life  may  be  more  devoted  to  His  glory  than  the 
last."— 

"I  thought  that  my  fretfulness  and  other  mark^ 
of  an  unsubdued  spirit  arose  from  a  sense  of  my 
corruption,  and  a  secret  dependence  on  my  own 
powers  for  a  cure.  Were  I  to  bring  the  maladies 
of  my  soul  to  the  great  Physician,  in  simple  re- 
liance on  his  grace,  I  should,  with  many  other 
benefits,  receive  a  cure  cf  that  bane  of  my  peace, 
disappointed  arrogance,  which  proudly  seeks  for 
good,  where  it  never  can  be  found.  In  every  dis- 
ease of  the  soul,  let  me  charge  myself  with  the 
blame,  and  Christ  with  the  -cure  of  it,  so  shall  I  be 
humbled  and  Christ  glorified," — "I  do  not  doubt 
but  that  I  belong  to  God,  yet  I  am  afraid  to  rejoice 
in  that  relation.  I  do  not  live  in  the  sense  of  my 
own  helplessness,  and  therefore  do  not  perceive 
that  my  security  is  not  in  myself,  but  in  Jesus 
Christ,  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever." 
— "I  found  that  the  omission  of  my  Journal  had 
been  attended  with  bad  effects.  O  wretched  man 
that  I  am!     If  God'a  word  did  not  unequivocally 


60  MEMOIR    OF 

declare  tlie  desperate  wickedness  of  the  heart,  I 
should  sink  down  in  despair.  Nothing  but  infinite 
grace  can  save  me.  But  that  which  most  grieves 
me,  is,  that  I  am  not  humbled  at  the  contemplation 
of  myself." — 

"When  I  look  back  on  every  day,  I  may  say  I 
have  lost  it.  So  much  time  mispent,  so  many 
opportunities  lost  of  doing  good,  by  spreading  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth  by  conversation,  by  ex- 
ample: so  little  zeal  for  God,  or  love  to  man;  so 
much  vanity  and  levity  and  pride  and  selfishness, 
that  I  may  well  tremble  at  the  world  of  iniquity 
within.  If  ever  I  am  saved,  it  must  be  by  gi-ace. 
Mav  God  give  me  a  humble,  contrite,  childlike, 
affectionate  spirit,  and  a  willingness  to  forego  my 
ease  continually  for  his  service." — 

"What  is  my  Journal,  but  a  transcript  of  my 
follies.^  what  else  is  the  usual  state  of  my  mind, 
but  weakness,  vanity,  and  sin?  O  that  I  could 
meditate  constantly  upon  divine  things;  that  the 
world  and  its  poor  concerns  did  no  more  distract 
my  heart  from  God,  But  how  little  I  know  or 
experience  of  the  power  of  Christ!  Truly  I  find 
my  proneness  to  sin,  and  that  generally  prevailing 
ignorance  of  my  mind  by  which  all  motives  to 
diligence  and  love  are  made  to  disappear,  to  be  my 
misery.  Now  therefore  I  desire  to  bec5me  a  fool, 
that  I  may  be  wi.-e:  'the  meek  will  ha  guide  in 
judgment.' — 


REV.    HENRY     MARTYN.  61 

"I  felt  humbled  at  the  remembrance  of  mispent 
hours,  and  while  this  frame  of  mind  continued,  all 
the  powers  of  my  soul  were  perceptibly  refreshed. 
The  last  three  chapters  of  St.  John  were  peculiarly 
sweet  and  I  longed  to  love. — Mr.  Simeon  preached 
on  John  xv,  12;    'This  is   my  commandment,  that 
ye  love  one  another  as  I  have  loVed  you.'     I  saw 
my  utter  want  of  such  a  love  as  he  described  it: 
so  disinterested,  sympathizing,  beneficent,  and  self- 
denying.     Resolved   to  make  the  acquisition  of  it 
the  daily   subject   of  my  future    endeavors." — -"I 
cared  not  what  was  the  state  of  pleasure  or  pain 
in  my  heart,  so  I  knew  its   depth   of  iniquity,  and 
could  be   poor  and  contrite  in  spirit;   but  it  is  hard 
and  stubborn  and  ignorant."— "Pride  shews    itself 
every  hour  of  every  day;  what  long  and  undisturb- 
ed   possession   does   self-complacency  hold   of  my 
heart!  what  plans  and  dreams  and  visions  of  futurity 
till  my  imagination,  in  which  self  is  the  prominent 
object." — "In  my  intercourse  with  some  of  my  dear 
friends,  the  workings  of  pride  were  but  too  plainly 
marked  in  my  outward  demeanor — on  looking  up 
to  God  for  pardon  for  it,  and  deliverance  from  it,  I 
felt  overwhelmed  with  guilt." — "I  was  unwilling  to 
resume  my  studies,  while  so  much  seemed  to  re- 
main to  be  done  in  my  own  heart.     Read  Hop- 
kins'  Sermon  on   true  happiness,  and  analyzed   it. 
The  obedience  required  in  it  terrified  me  at  first, 
but  afterwards  I  could  adore  God,  that  he  had  re- 
quired me  to  be  perfectlv  holy.     I  thought  I  could 
9 


G2  IMExMOIR   OF 

eheeriullj  do  his  ^vill  though  the  -world,  the  flesh, 
and  the  devil  should  rise  up  against  me;  desired 
to  be  filled  with  the  fruits  of  righteousness,  j^ar- 
ticularlj  with  humility  and  love  for  the  poor  of 
Christ's  flock." 

"Drew  near  to  the  Lord  in  prayer,  but  was  rath- 
er elevated  than  humbled  afterwards.  At  Mr, 
Simeon's,  was  deeply  impressed  with  his  sermon  on 
Eccles.  viii,  11.  It  was  a  complete  picture  of  the 
human  heart;  and  when  he  came  to  say,  that  they 
sinned  habitually,  deliberately,  and  without  re- 
morse, I  could  scarcely  believe  I  was  so  vile  a 
wretch  as  I  then  saw  myself  to  be.  It  was  a  most 
solemn  discourse." — "The  less  we  do  the  more  we 
value  it:  how  poor  and  mean  and  pitiful  would 
many  even  of  present  Christians  esteem  my  life! 
Dear  Savior,  I  desire  to  be  no  more  lukewarm,  but 
to  walk  nigh  to  God,  to  be  dead  to  the  world  and 
Longing  for  the  coming  of  Christ." 

"I  read  Hebrew  and  the  Greek  of  the  Epistle  to 
the  Hebrews.  This  Epistle  is  not  only  not  most 
uninteresting  as  it  formerly  was,  but  now  the  sweet- 
est portion  of  Holy  Scripture  I  know,  partly,  I  sup- 
pose, because  I  can  look  up  to  Jesus  as  my  Higli 
Priest,  though  I  may  very  often  doubt  whether  I 
am  interested  in  him:  Yet  O  how  free  is  his  love  to 
the  chief  of  sinners!" — "How  many  of  my  days  are 
lost,  if  their  worth  is  to  be  measured  by  the  stand- 
ard of  prevailing  heavenly  mindedness!  I  want, 
above  all  things,  a  Avillingness  to  be  despised.    What 


REV.    HENRY    RIARTYN.  63 

but  tlie  humbling  influence  of  the  Spirit,  shewing 
me  mj  vileness  and  desperate  wickedness,  can  ever 
produce  such  an  habitual  temper!" 

"Mr.  Simeon's  sermon  this  evening  on  2  Chron. 
xxxii,  31,  discovered  to  me  my  corruption  and  vile- 
ness more  than  any  sermon  I  ever  had  heard." — 
"  O!  that  I  had  a  more  piercing  sense  of  the  divine 
presence!  How  much  sin  in  the  purest  services!  If 
I  were  sitting  in  heavenly  places  with  Christ,  or  rath- 
er with  my  thoughts  habitually  there,  how  would 
every  duty,  but  especially  this  of  social  prayer,  be- 
come easy: — 'Memoria  tua  sancta,  et  dulcedo  tua 
beatissima,  possideat  animam  meam,  atque  in  invisi- 
bilium  amorem  rapiat  illam.' " 

"This  day  was  set  apart  for  a  public  fast.  I 
prayed  rather  more  than  two  hours,  chiefly  with 
confession  of  my  own  sins,  those  of  my  family,  and 
the  Church;  alas!  so  much  was  required  to  be  said 
on  the  first  head,  that  I  should  have  been  at  no 
loss  to  have  dwelt  upon  it  the  whole  day." — "Suf- 
fered sleepiness  to  prevent  my  reading  to  my  ser- 
vant— it  is  hurtful  to  my  conscience  to  let  slight 
excuses  for  an  omission  of  duty  to  prevail." — "O 
what  cause  for  shame  and  self-abhorrence  arises 
from  the  review  of  every  day — in  morning  prayer, 
as  usual  of  late,  my  soul  longed  to  leave  its  corrup- 
tions, to  think  of  Christ  and  live  by  him,  I  labored 
to  represent  to  myself  powerful  considerations  to 
stir  up  my  slothful  heart  to  activity,  particularly 
that  which  respects  giving  instruction  to,  and  pray- 


$4  MEMOIR     OF 

ing  with  people.  I  set  before  myself  the  infinite 
mercy  of  being  out  of  hell — of  being  pennitttd  to  do 
the  will  of  God — of  the  love  of  Christ,  which  was 
so  disinterested — how  he  passed  his  life  in  going 
about  doing  good — how  those  men  who  are  truly 
great,  the  blessed  Apostles,  did  the  same — how  the 
Jioly  angels  would  delight  to  be  employed  on  er- 
rands of  mercy.  A  ray  of  light  seems  to  break 
upon  my  mind  for  a  moment,  and  discovers  the  folly 
and  ignorance  of  this  sinful  heart:  but  it  quickly  re- 
turns to  its  former  hardness.  My  will  is  to  sit  in 
all  day  reading,  not  making  any  effort  to  think, 
but  letting  the  book  fill  the  mind  with  a  succession 
of  notions:  when  the  time  comes  for  reading  the 
Scripture  and  prayer,  then  it  recoils.  When  an 
opportunity  offers  of  speaking  for  the  good  of 
others,  or  assisting  a  poor  person,  then  it  makes  a 
thousand  foolish  excuses.  It  would  rather  go  on 
wrapt  in  self,  and  leave  the  world  to  perish.  Ah! 
what  a  heart  is  mine!  The  indistinctness  of  my 
view  of  its  desperate  wickedness  is  terrible  to  me, 
that  is,  when  I  am  capable  of  feeling  any  terror. 
But  now,  my  soul,  rise  from  earth  and  hell — shall 
Satan  lead  me  captive  at  his  will,  when  Christ  ever 
jiveth  to  make  intercession  for  the  vilest  worm? 
O  Thou,  whose  I  am  by  creation,  preservation,  re- 
demption, no  longer  my  own,  but  his  'who  lived 
and  died  and  rose  again,  once  more  would  I  resign 
this  body  and  soul,  mean  and  worthless  as  they  are, 
to  the   blessed  disposal  of  thy  holy  will! — May  I 


REV.    HBNRY    MARTYPf.  05 

have  a  heart  to  love  God  and  his  people,  the  flesh 
being  crucified!" 

"I  found  a  wapt  of  the  presence  of  God  from  the 
fear  of  having  acted  against  the  suggestion  of  con- 
science, in  indulging  myself  with  reading  the  amus- 
ing account  of  Dr.  Vanderkemp,  instead  of  apply- 
ing to  the  severer  studies  of  the  morning.  God  ])e 
merciful  to  me  a  sinner!  May  grace  abound,  where 
sin  has  abounded  much!  May  I  cheerfully  and 
joyfully  resign  my  ease  and  life  in  the  service  of 
Jesus,  to  whom  I  owe  so  much!  May  it  be  sweet  to 
me  to  proclaim  to  s-inners  like  myself  the  blessed 
efficacy  of  my  Savior's  blood!  May  he  make  me 
faithful  unto  death!  The  greatest  enemy  I  dread  is 
the  pride  of  my  own  heart.  Through  pride 
reigning,  I  should  forget  to  know  a  broken  spirit: 
then  would  come  on  unbelief — weakness — apos- 
tasy.-'— "If  it  is  a  mercy  tjiat  I  am  out  of  hell, 
what  account  should  I  make  of  the  glorious  work 
of  the  ministry  to  which  I  am  to  be  called,  who  am 
not  worthy  to  be  trodden  under  foot  of  men." 

Thus  having  attained  to  degree  of  self-knowl- 
edge and  of  spirituality  equally  rare,  and  being 
thoroughly  instructed  how,  "he  ought  to  behave 
himself  in  the  Church  of  God — the  Church  of  the 
living  God-^the  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth," 
Mr.  Martyn  prepared  for  the  solemn  rite  of  his 
ordination,  which  was  administered  at  Ely  on  Sun- 
day, Oct.  22,  1803:  "Blessed  is  the  man  whom 
Thou  choosest  and  causest  to  approach  unto  Thee, 


66  MEMOIR    OF 

that  he  may  dwell  in  tlij  courts;"  Psal.  Ixv,  4.  This 
blessing  surely  rested  in  an  eminent  degree  on  Mr. 
Martyn:  for  what  a  contrast  does  his  approach  to 
the  altar  on  this  occasion  exhibit  to  that  of  those, 
who  presumptuously  intrude  into  the  sacred  office, 
"seeking  their  own  things  and  not  the  things  of 
Jesus  Christ." — Truly  might  he  affirm,  that  he  was 
*'inwardly  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  take  upon- 
him  that  office  and  ministration  to  serve  God,  by 
promoting  his  glory,  and  edifying  his  people;"  and 
truly  did  he  resolve  to  "give  himself  continually  to 
prayer  and  to  the  ministry  of  the  word."  Yet  his 
self-abasement  w^as  as  usual  conspicuous,  and  he 
bewailed  having  presented  himself  for  admission 
into  the  ministry  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  "in  so  much 
ignorance  and  unholiness,"  and  at  the  same  time 
poured  out  his  prayer,  that  he  might  have  "grace 
to  fulfil  those  promises  which  he  had  made  before 
God  and  the  people." — The  awful  weight  of 
ordination  vows  was  impressed  on  no  one's  mind 
more  deeply  than  on  his — the  thought  of  his 
responsibility  would  have  overwhelmed  him,  had 
he  not  been  supported  in  remembering  that  the 
treasure  of  the  Gospel  was  placed  in  earthen 
vessels,  that  "the  excellency  of  the  power  might 
be  of  God  and  not  of  man."  That  which  was  the 
comfort  of  Polycarp  as  a  Bishop,  was  his  conso- 
lation as  a  Deacon — that  he  who  was  constituted 
an  overseer  of  the  Church,  was  himself  overlooked  by 
Jesus  Christ — that  in  the  discharge  of  his  office  as 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  07 

pastor  of  the  flock,  he  was  ever  under  the  gracious 
superintendence  of  that  great  and  good  Shepherd 
who  laid  down  his  Hfe  for  the  sheep. 

A  circumstance  which  occurred  at  this  time 
shews  how  seriously  his  mind  was  affected.  From 
a  constitutional  delicacy  and  reserve,  no  one  had 
naturally  a  greater  reluctance  than  Mr.  Martyn 
to  obtrude  himself  on  the  notice  of  others  in  a  way 
of  admonitioji;  it  w^as  a  task  from  which  his  feel- 
ings recoiled.  Observing,  however,  with  pain  and 
sorrow,  one  of  the  candidates  for  ordination  in  an 
apparently  careless  and  unconcerned  state,  he  took 
an  opportunity,  though  the  party  was  not  person- 
ally known  to  him,  of  admonishing  him  privately  on 
the  subject:  and  in  what  a  strain  such  a  man  would 
speak  at  such  a  moment^  may  more  easily  be  cori- 
ceived  than  expressed. — A  deep  conviction  of  the 
necessity  of  reproving  others,  and  not  suffering  sin 
to  remain  in  them,  often  induced  Mr.  Martyo  to  do 
violence  to  the  retiring  tenderness  of  his  disposition. 
He  felt  reproof  to  be  "a  duty  of  unlimited  extent 
and  almost  insuperable  difficulty" — but,  said  he, 
"the  way  to  know  when  to  address  men,  and  when 
to-  abstain,  is  to  love^^  and  he  resolved  "not  to 
reprove  others,  except  he  experienced  at  the  time 
a  peculiar  contrition  of  spirit,  where  he  could  con- 
scientiously be  silent." 

The  exercise  of  his  pastoral  function  Mr.  Martyn 
commenced,  as  curate  to  the  Rev.  C.  Simeon,  in 
the   Church  of   the   Holv  Trinity  ia  Cambridge, 


68  Memoih  or 

undertaking  likewise  the  charge  of  the  parish  ol' 
Lolworth,  a  small  village  at  no  great  distance  from 
the  University.  There  it  was,  on  the  Sunday  after 
his  ordination,  that  he  preached  his  first  sermon,  on 
the  following  words:  "If  a  man  die  shall  he  live 
again — all  the  days  of  my  appointed  time  will  I 
wait,  till  my  change  come;"  Job  xiv,  14.  At  which 
place  after  delivering  his  second  sermon  on  the 
succeeding  Sunday,  an  incident  occurred  on  his  way 
home,  which  is  recorded  in  his  Journal,  and  which 
could  not  well  be  effaced  from  his  remembrance. 
An  old  man,  who  had  been  one  of  his  auditors, 
walked  by  the  side  of  his  horse  for  a  considerable 
time,  warning  him  to  reflect,  that  if  any  souls  per- 
ished through  his  neglect,  their  blood  would  be 
required  at  his  hand.  He  exhorted  him  to  shew 
his  hearers,  that  they  were  perishing  sinners;  to  be 
much  engaged  in  secret  prayer;  and  to  labor  after 
an  entire  departure  from  himself  to  Christ.  "From 
what  he  said  on  the  last  head  (observes  Mr.  Mar- 
tyn,)  it  was  clear  that  I  had  but  little  experience; 
but  I  lifted  up  my  heart  afterwards  to  the  Lord, 
that  I  might  be  fully  instructed  in  righteousness." — 
So  meekly  and  thankfully  did  this  young  minister 
listen  to  the  affectionate  counsel  of  an  old  disciple. 
On  Thursday,  Nov.  10,  he  preached  for  the  first 
time  at  Trinity  Church  to  a  numerous  and  ear- 
nestly attentive  congregation,  upon  part  of  that 
address  of  Jesus  to  the  Woman  of  Samaria: — "If 
thou  knewest  the  gift  of  God,  and  who  it  is  that 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  69 

saith  unto  thee,  give  me  to  drink,  thou  wouldest 
have  asked  of  him,  and  he  would  have  given  thee 
living  water,"  John  iv,  10;  when  it  was  his  fer- 
vent desire  and  prayer  to  enter  fully  into  the 
solemn  spirit  of  those  Avell  known  lines, 

"I'd  preach  as  though  I  ne'er  should  preach  again: 
I'd  preach  as  dying  unto  dj  ing  men." 

Nor  could  words  characterise  more  justly  the 
usual  strain  of  his  preaching:  for  whether  the 
congregation  he  addressed  were  great  or  small, 
learned  and  refined,  or  poor  and  ignorant,  he  spake 
as  one  who  had  a  message  to  tliem  from  God, 
and  who  was  impressed  with  the  consideration, 
that  both  he  and  they  must  shortly  stand  before 
the  Judge  of  quick  and  dead. 

The  burthens  and  difficulties  of  his  sacred  em- 
ployments lay  heavily  at  first  on  Mr.  Martyn's 
mind,  and  considerably  depressed  his  spirits:  but 
he  endeavored,  he  writes,  in  a  letter  to  his  earliest 
friend,  to  keep  in  view  "the  unreasonableness  of 
his  discontent  (who  w^as  a  brand  plucked  out  of 
the  fire)  and  the  glorious  blessedness  of  the  minis- 
terial work."  At  times,  he  confesses,  he  w^as  tried 
with  a  "sinful  dislike  of  his  parochial  duty" — and 
seemed  frequently  "as  a  stone  speaking  to  stones" 
— and  he  laments  that  "want  of  private  devotional 
reading  and  shortness  of  prayer  through  incessant 
sermon-making,  had  produced  much  strangeness 
between  God  and  his  soul."— "Every  time,"  he  re^ 
marked,  "that  I  open  the  Scriptures,  my  thoughts 
10 


70  MEMOIR  or 

are  about  a  sermon  or  exposition,  so  that  even  tn 
private  I  seem  to  be  reading  in  public."  Young 
ministers,  those  especially  who  are  placed  in  ex- 
tensive spheres  of  action,  are  not  ignorant  of  the 
temptations  of  which  Mr.  Martyn  here  complains 
—and  to  them  it  must  be  a  consolation  to  be 
assured,  that  the  same  afflictions  w^ere  accom- 
plished in  one  of  the  most  devoted  and  most  faith- 
ful of  their  brethren. 

Added  to  those  duties  which  had  now  become 
his  peculiar  care,  and  in  which,  notwithstanding 
some  momentary  depressions,  he  continued  stedfast 
and  immoveable,  always  abounding  in  his  work, 
an  office  of  another  kind  devolved  on  him  towards 
the  close  of  the  year  1803 — that  of  one  of  the 
public  examiners  in  his  college:  and  if  it  were  too 
much  to  say,  that  an  examination  in  the  classics 
at  St.  John's  has  rarely  been  conducted  more  to 
the  credit  of  the  society — or  to  the  advantage  of 
the  students — or  to  the  honor  of  the  examiner — 
certainly  it  w^ould  not  be  declaring  too  much  to 
aver,  that  never  since  the  foundation  of  the  college 
has  one  been  held  in  a  more  Christian  spirit,  and 
in  a  more  strict  accordance  with  that  extensive 
apostolical  injunction — -"Whatsoever  ye  do  in  word 
or  deed,  do  all  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus/' 
The  vigilance  with  which  Mr.  Martyn  prepared 
for  this  duty,  and  the  humility  in  which  he  speaks 
of  himself  when  engaged  in  the  execution  of  it, 
shew  that  his  Cin'istianity  was  of  the  highest  proof. 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  71 

"I  read  MItford's  History  of  Greece,  as  I  am  to 
be  classical  examiner.  To  keep  my  thoughts  from 
wandering  away  to  take  pleasure  in  those  studies,  re- 
quired more  watchfulness  and  earnestness  in  prayer 
than  I  can  account  for.  But  earnest  ejaculation  was 
effectual  to  make  me  return  to  the  word  of  God  with 
some  delight.  'The  carnal  mind  is  enmity  against 
God,' — and  so  I  find  it.  '  I  was  forced  to  reason  with 
myself,  and  force  open  my  eyes,  that  I  might  see 
the  excellency  of  divine  things.  Did  I  delight  in 
reading  the  retreat  of  the  ten  thousand  Greeks,  and 
shall  not  my  soul  glory  in  the  knowledge  of  God, 
who  created  the  Greeks,  and  the  vast  countries  over 
which  they  passed. — I  examined  in  Butler,  and  in 
Xenophon;  how  much  pride  and  ostentatious  dis- 
play of  learning  was  visible  in  my  conduct!  hov/ 
that  detestable  spirit  follows  me  whatever  I  do." 

It  was  customary  with  Mr.  Martyn,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  a  new  year,  to  take  a  solemn  review 
of  the  time  past,  and  to  contemplate  his  future 
prospects.  In  the  review  of  his  Journal  of  the 
year  1803,  he  judged  that  he  had  dedicated  too 
much  time  to  public  ministrations,  and  too  little 
to  private  communion  with  God.  Yet  he  trusted 
that  he  had  grown  in  grace,  inasmuch  as  the  bent 
of  his  desires  was  towards  God  more  than  when 
he  first  thought  of  becoming  a  Missionary.  "In 
heavenly  contemplation  and  abstraction  of  mind," 
he  adds,  "my  attainments  have  fallen  far  short  of 
my  expectation;  but  in  a  sense  of  my  own  wortl> 


72  MEMOIR    OF 

lessness  and  guilt,  and  in  a  consequent  subjugation 
of  the  will,  and  In  a  disposition  for  labor  and 
active  exertion,  I  am  inclined  to  think  myself 
gaining  ground.  My  soul  approves  thoroughly  the 
life  of  God,  and  my  one  only  desire  is  to  be  en- 
tirely devoted  to  him;  and  O  may  I  live  very  near 
to  him  in  the  ensuing  year,  and  follow  the  steps  of 
Christ  and  his  holy  saints.  I  have  resigned  in  pro- 
fession the  riches,  the  honors,  and  the  comforts  of 
this  world;  and  I  think  also  it  is  a  resignation  of  the 
heart."'  Then,  after  having  set  apart  a  day  for 
fasting  and  prayer,  he  besought  God  "for  under- 
standing and  strength,  to  fit  him  for  a  long  life  of 
warfare  and  constant  sell-denial;  and  that  he  might 
see  clearly  Avhy  he  was  placed  here,  how  short  the 
time  was,  and  how  excellent  to  labor  for  souls,  and, 
above  all,  to  feel  liis  desert  of  hell." — He  pray- 
ed also  for  grace,  "to  enlighten  him  in  the  dark 
seasons  of  trouble  and  desponding  faith;  that  he 
might  not  shrink  from  cold,  and  hunger,  and  painful 
labor,  but  follow  the  Lamb  Avhithersoever  he  went." 
His  soul  longed  for  perfection,  but  he  "feared  that 
he  had  not  yet  learned  the  secret  of  happiness — a 
poor  and  contrite  spirit." 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1804,  Mr.  Martyn's 
expectations  of  becoming  a  Missionary  were  con- 
siderably damped  by  the  very  trying  event  of  his 
losing  all  his  slender  patrimony;  a  loss  rendered 
more  severe  to  him  by  the  circumstance  of  his 
youngest  sister  being  involved  in  the  same  calamity. 


REV.    HENRY     IMARTYN.  73 

His  designs  of  leaving  England  were,  in  consequence 
of  this  disaster,  likely  to  be  frustrated:  for  his  pe- 
cuniary resources  were  cut  off,  and  it  appeared  to 
him  scarcely  justifiable  to  leave  his  sister  in  actual 
distress,  when  his  presence  in  England  might  al- 
leviate or  remove  it.  In  order,  therefore,  that 
he  might  consult  some  of  his  friends  in  this  emer- 
gency, at  the  end  of  June  he  left  Cambridge  for 
London. 

The  situation  of  a  Chaplain  to  the  East  India 
Company  had  long  appeared  to  many  of  those  who 
took  a  lively  interest  in  him  and  his  work,  to  be 
peculiarly  eligible,  as  offering  singular  facilities  foj* 
Missionary  exertions  amongst  millions  of  Idolaters. 
The  pecuniary  advantages  of  the  appointment  were 
at  first  wholly  out  of  their  contemplation;  and  for 
himself,  when  it  was  intimated  to  him  that  there 
was  some  expectation  of  his  leaving  England  in  the 
capacity  of  Chaplain  to  the  East  India  Company — 
his  private  Journal  contains  this  remarkable  reflec- 
tion.— ''The  prospect  of  this  world'' s  happiness  gave 
me  rather  pain  than  pleasure,  which  convinced  me 
that  I  had  been  running  away  from  the  world 
rather  than  overcoming  it." — That  unexpected 
change  which  had  now  taken  place  in  Mr.  Martyn's 
circumstances  caused  an  increased  anxiety  amongst 
his  friends  to  procure,  if  possible,  the  appointment 
which  before  they  had  deemed  so  desirable;  and 
they  were  not  without  hopes  of  seeing  the  Mission 
Church  at  Calcutta  placed  under  his  pastoral  super- 


74  JWEMOIR    OF 

intendence.  Insuperable  obstacles  however  inter- 
fered witli  this  arrangement,  and  "a  veil  was  thus 
cast  over  his  future  proceedings." 

The  patience  which  Mr.  Martyn  manifested 
under  this  disappointment  was  as  edifying  and  extra- 
ordinary, as  the  watchfulness  which  he  exercised 
over  his  mind  during  his  visit  to  London,  lest 
scenes  so  different  from  those  of  Cambridge  should 
prove  to  him  a  source  of  distraction  and  dissipation. 
He  speaks  at  this  time  of  returning  on  one  occasion 
to  his  room,  after  having  been  much  abroad  and 
making  many  visits,  "unable  to  remain  in  an  unholy 
dissipated  state:  and  seeking  God  earnestly  iii 
prayer."  Whilst  w^aiting  at  the  India  House,  he 
employed  that  time,  for  which  he  says  he  would 
have  given  any  thing  at  Cambridge,  in  private  ejac- 
ulatory  prayer,  and  in  repeating  passages  from  the 
word  of  God; — and  yet,  though  he  ever  aimed  at 
an  entire  abstraction  from  the  vanities  of  the  world, 
he  hesitated  not  to  allow  himself  the  full  enjoyment 
of  rational  and  refined  gratifications: — his  observa- 
tions on  this  head  are  well  worth  recording:  "Since 
I  have  known  God  in  a  saving  manner,"  he 
remarks,  "painting,  poetry,  and  music,  have  had 
charms  unknown  to  me  before — I  have  received 
V-hat  I  suppose  is  a  taste  for  them;. for  religion  has 
refined  my  mind,  and  made  it  susceptible  of 
impressions  from  the  sublime  and  beautiful.  O 
how  religion  secures  the  heightened  enjoyment 
of  those  pleasures  which  keep  so  many  from  GoiJ, 
by  their  becoming  a  source  of  pride." 


REV.  HENRf  MARTT-x.  Til- 

Unable  at  present  to  discern  the  cloud  Avhich 
should  conduct  him  on  his.  way,  Mr.  Martjn 
resumed  his  ministerial  functions  at  Cambridge  with 
ardor,  but  with  a  heayy  heart. — The  affairs  of  his 
family,  affecting  as  thej  did  his  own  destination  as 
well  as  his  sister's  happiness,  were  no  light  pressure 
upon  his  spirits;  in  any  other  point  of  view  they 
would  scarcely  have  raised  a  sigh,  and  certainly 
would  not  greatly  have  disturbed  his  composure. 
But  when  "most  oppressed,"  he  was  enabled  to 
find  comfort  in  reflecting,  that  "even  such  a  condi- 
tion was  infinitely  preferable  to  that  of  those, 
whose  minds  were  discontented  in  the  pursuit  of 
dangerous  trifles." 

The  words  of  the  wise  man,  that  "the  day  of 
death  is  better  than  the  day  of  one's  birth,"  can 
apply  only  to  those  who  practically  discern  in  the* 
light  of  the  Scriptures  the  great  end  of  their  exist- 
ence. This  subject  was  ever  in  Mr.  Martyn's  con? 
templation;  and  that  he  might  more  closely  consider 
the  object  for  which  he  was  created,  he  never  failed 
of  making  a  particular  commemoration  of  the  anni- 
versary of  his  birth.  "Twenty-three  years  have 
elapsed,"  (he  wrote  on  the  18th  of  February^ 
1804,)  "since  I  saw  the  light— only  four  of  which 
have  been  professedly  given  to  God — much  has 
been  left  undone — much  remains  to  be  done  as  a 
Christian  and  Minister:  yet  my  past  experience  of 
the  long  suffering  of  God  leaves  me  no  doubt  of 
being  carried  on  all  the  way.     I  feel  that  my  heart 


74  JVljEJMOIK    OF 

is  wholly  for  heaven,  and  the  world  mainlj  behind 
my  back.  Praised  be  the  Lord  for  his  mercy  and 
patience!  The  number  of  my  days  is  fixed  in  his 
purpose: — O  may  I  'glorify  him  on  earth,  and  finish 
the  work  he  has  given  me  to  do!'  " 

In  the  interval  which  passed  between  the  months 
of  February  and  June,  he  was  found  actively  labor- 
ing in  the  service  of  his  divine  Master.  He  preached 
animating  and  awakening  discourses;  he  excited 
societies  of  private  Christians  to  "watch,  quit  them- 
selves like  men,  and  be  strong:"  he  visited  many 
of  the  poor,  the  afflicted  and  the  dying:  he  warned 
numbers  of  the  careless  and  profligate — in  a  w^ord, 
he  did  the  work  of  an  Evangelist.  Often  did  he 
redeem  time  from  study,  from  recreation,  and  from 
the  intercourse  of  friends,  that,  like  his  Redeemer, 
he  might  enter  the  abodes  of  misery,  either  to 
arouse  the  unthinking  slumberer,  or  to  administer 
consolation  to  the  dejected  penitent.  Many  an 
hour  did  he  pass  in  an  hospital  or  an  alms-house — 
and  often,  after  a  day  of  labor  and  fatigue,  w^hen 
wearied  almost  to  an  extremity  of  endurance,  he 
would  read  and  pr^^iy  with  the  servant  who  had 
the  care  of  his  rooms,  thus  making  it  his  meat 
and  drink,  his  rest  as  well  as  his  labor,  to  do  the 
will  of  his  heavenly  Father,  in  conformity  to  the 
example  of  Christ: — 


-"His  care  was  fixed 


To  fill  his  odorons  lamp  with  deeds  of  lighU 
And  hope  that  re^^ps  not  sharae." 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  77 

The  delight  he  experienced  on  hearing  that 
benefit  had  resulted  from  his  exertions,  proved  to 
him  an  ample  recompense  for  every  sacrifice  of 
time,  comfort,  or  convenience;  and  it  was  equalled 
onlj  by  the  humility  with  which  he  received  such 
cheering  intelligence.  "I  was  encouraged"  (he  ob- 
serves on  receiving  a  communication  of  this  nature) 
"and  refreshed  beyond  description,  and  I  could  only 
cheerfully  and  gratefully  offer  up  myself  to  God's 
service:  but  it  was  at  the  same  time  a  check  to  my 
pride  to  reflect,  that  though  God  might  in  his  Sove- 
reignty bless  his  word  by  my  mouth,  I  was  nbt  on 
that  account  less  sinful  in  my  ministrations." 

The  incalculable  value  of  habits  of  self-denial 
never  seems  to  have  been  more  deeply  impressed 
upon  the  mind  of  Mr.  Martyn  than  at  this  time. — 
"A  despicable  indulgence  in  lying  in  bed,"  he  says, 
"gave  me  such  a  view  of  the  softness  of  my  charac- 
ter, that  I  resolved,  on  my  knees,  to  live  a  life  of 
more  self-denial:  the  tone  and  vigor  of  my  mind 
rose  rapidly:  all  those  duties  from  which  I  usually 
shrink,  seemed  recreations. — I  collected  all  the  pas- 
sages from  the  four  Gospels  that  had  any  reference 
to  this  subject,  it  is  one  on  which  I  need  to  preach 
to  myself,  and  mean  to  preach  to  others. — When- 
ever I  can  say  'thy  will  be  done,'  teach  me  to  do 
thy  will,  O  God,  for  thou  art  my  God;  it  is  like 
throwing  ballast  out  of  an  air-balloon,  my  soul 
ascends  immediately,  and  light  and  happiness  shine 
11 


76  MEMOIR  or 

around  me.*' — Such  was  his  thirst  after  this  Chris- 
tian temper!  such  his  enjoyment  of  its  blessedness! 
At  the  beginning  of  the  present  year,  Mr.  Mar- 
tyn  was  apprehensive,  we  have  seen,  of  having 
bestowed  too  much  time  on  pubhc  duties — too 
Httle  on  those  which  arc  private  and  personal.  He 
was  fully  persuaded  that  in  order  to  take  heed 
effectually  to  his  ministry,  he  must,  in  obedience 
to  the  apostolical  injunction,  take  heed  primarily  to 
^'himself:-'  and  this  in  fact  was  his  settled  course 
and  practice.  He  would  sometimes  set  apart  sea- 
sons for  humiliation  and  prayer,  and  would  fre- 
quently spend  whole  evenings  in  devotion. — Of  the 
Bible  he  could  ever  affiimi,  "thy  word  is  very  pure, 
therefore  thy  servant  loveth  it."  "The  word  of 
Christ  dwelt  richly  in  him  in  all  wisdom."  Large 
portions  of  it  did  he  commit  to  memory,  repeating 
them  during  his  solitary  walks,  at  those  times  Avhen 
he  was  not  expressly  meditating  on  some  Scriptural 
subject,  w^iich  was  his  general  custom:  and  so  deep 
was  his  veneration  for  the  word  of  God,  that  when 
a  suspicion  arose  in  his  mind,  that  any  other  book  he 
might  be  studying  Avas  about  to  gain  an  undue  influ- 
ence over  his  affections,  he  instantly  laid  it  aside, 
nor  would  he  resume  it  till  he  had  felt  and  realized 
the  paramount  excellence  of  the  divine  oracles:  he 
could  not  rest  satisfied  till  all  those  lesser  lights 
which  were  beginning  to  dazzle  him,  had  disap- 
peared before  the  effulgence  of  the  Scriptures. 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN, 


79 


How   much   he  loved  secret  prayer,  and   how 
vigilantly  he  engaged  in  the  exercise  of  it,  may  be 
seen  in  the  subjoined  remarks  of  his  on  that  sub- 
ject:— "I  felt  the  need  of  setting  apart  a  day  for  the 
restoration  of  my  soul  by  solemn  prayer:  my  views 
of  eternity  are  become  dim  and  transient. — I  could 
live  for  ever  in  prayer  if  I  could  always  speak  to 
God. — I  sought  to  pause  and  consider  what  I  want- 
ed, and  to  look  up  with  fear  and  faith,  and  I  found 
the  benefit,  for  my  soul  was  soon  composed  to  that 
devout  sobriety,  which  I  knew  by  its  sweetness,  to 
be  its  proper  frame. — I  was  engaged  in  prayer  in 
the  manner  I  like,  deep  seriousness;  at  the  end  of  it, 
I  felt  great  fear  of  forgetting  the  presence  of  God, 
and  of  leaving  him  as  soon  as  I  should  leave  the 
posture  of  devotion. — I  was  led  through  the  mists 
of  unbelief,  and  spake  to  God  as  one  that  was  true, 
and   rejoiced   exceedingly  that   he    was   holy  and 
faithful:  I  endeavored  to  consider  myself  as  being 
alone  on  the  earth  with  him,  and  that  greatly  pro- 
moted my  approach  to  his   presence. — My  prayer 
for  a  meek  and  holy  sobriety  was  granted:  O  how 
sweet  the  dawn  of  Heaven!" 

Nor  was  Mr.  Martyn  less  diligent  and  fervent  in 
the  yet  higher  branch  of  Christian  worship — 
thanksgiving. — "Let  me  praise  God,"  he  would  say, 
"for  having  turned  me  from  a  life  of  woe  to  the 
enjoyment  of  peace  and  hope. — The  work  is 
real. — I  can  no  more  doubt  it  than  I  can  doubt  my 
existence:    the    whole  current   of    my  desires   is 


80  MEMOIR    OP 

altered — I  am  walking  quite  another  way,  though  I 
am  incessantly  stumbling  in  that  way — I  had  a  most 
blessed  view  of  God  and  divine  things — O  how 
great  is  his  excellency!  I  find  my  heart  pained  for 
want  of  words  to  praise  him  according  to  his  excel- 
lent greatness.  I  looked  forward  to  complete  con- 
formity to  him,  as  the  great  end  of  my  existence, 
and  my  assurance  was  full — I  said  almost  with 
tears,  'who  shall  separate  us  from  the  love  of 
Christ.'  "— 

It  has  been  well  observed,*  that  "we  may  judge 
by  our  regard  for  the  Sabbath,  w^hether  eternity 
will  be  forced  upon  us."  The  application  of  this 
rule,  as  it  respects  Mr.  Martyn,  will  discover  a 
singular  meetness  in  him  for  the  inheritance  of  the 
saints  in  light.  His  Sabbaths  were  Sabbaths  in- 
deed,— the  antepast  often  of  that  rest  which  is 
everlasting. 

Let  us  hear  his  own  description  of  his  happiness 
at  some  of  those  sacred  times: — "Before  setting  out 
to  go  to  Lolworth,  I  endeavored  to  cast  away  all 
those  contemptible  prejudices  and  dislikes  I  often 
have,  and  on  the  road  experienced  a  sweet  sense  of 
the  divine  presence,  and  happy  meditation  on  God 
and  his  truths.  I  was  thinking  of  the  love  of 
Christ  and  his  unparalleled  humility,  and  that  to 
him  belonged  all  glory,  as  having  truly  merited  it. 
I  felt  quite  devoted  to  God  and  assured  of  his  love: 

*  Adaras's  Private  Thougbts. 


REV.  HENRY  MARTYN.  81 

I  did  not  doubt  of  having  been  apprehended  by 
Christ,  (for  the  purpose,  I  hope,  of  preaching  his 
Gospel)  and  during  the  service  my  heart  was  full  of 
love  and  joy." — ."At  church,  this  morning,  my  heart 
was  overflowing  with  love  and  joy:  during  the  ser- 
mon, which  was  an  exhortation  to  diligence,  a  sense 
of  my  unprofitableness  depressed  me. — But  in  my 
ride  to  Lol worth,  I  enjoyed  sweet  delight — every 
breeze  seemed  to  breathe  love  into  my  heart;  and 
while.  I  surveyed  the  landscape,  I  looked  forward 
to  the  days  when  all  nations  should  come  to  the 
mountain  of  the  Lord's  house." 

By  those  who  forget  the  history  of  our  Lord's 
life,  it  might  be  conceived,  that  one  so  blameless  and 
harmless  as  Mr.  Martyn,  so  poor  in  spirit  and  pure 
in  heart,  would  pass  on  his  way  unassailed  by 
calumny  or  unkindness.  But  those  who  draw  their 
anticipations  from  the  Scripture,  w'ill  not  "marvel" 
that  he  should  be  called  to  endure  unjust  insinua- 
tions and  aspersions,  when  his  whole  life  was 
devoted  to  the  welfare  of  his  fellow-creatures; 
yet  "when  reviled  he  reviled  not  again,  but 
committed  himself  to  him  that  judgeth  right- 
eously." "Is  it  not  sweet,  O  my  soul,"  he  exclaimed 
under  a  trial  of  this  kind,  "to  have  a  holy  God  to 
appeal  to  and  converse  with,  though  the  world 
should  turn  their  backs?"  And  it  should  be  re- 
marked here,  that  his  patience  under  the  severe 
and  unmerited  censures  of  others  w^as  not;  that  which 
is  sometimes  mistaken  for  it,  the   indifference  of 


8!i  MEiMOIR   OF 

apathy,  or  superciliousness  of  contempt:  the  one 
was  as  abhorrent  to  his  nature,  as  the  other  was  to 
the  principles  of  his  religion.  Censorious  tongues 
were  to  him  as  they  were  to  David,  "spears  and 
arrows  and  sharp  swords:"  so  far  from  being  callous 
to  any  attempts  to  wound  his  character  and  his 
peace,  he  acknowledges  that  obloquy  was  a  trying 
exercise  of  his  Christian  temper,  and  he  considered 
the  dispensation  as  "wholesome,"  because  "to  be 
despised  by  men  affected  him  very  deeply,"  "But 
the  name  of  the  Lord  is  a  strono^  tower — the 
righteous  runneth  into  it,  and  is  safe."  "Conscious," 
said  he,  "that  I  did  not  deserve  the  censures  that 
were  cast  upon  me,  I  committed  myself  to  God,  and 
in  him  may  I  abide,  till  the  indignation  be  over- 
past!" 

Those  however  who  maligned  and  traduced  Mr. 
Martyn's  character,  wounded  his  spirit  far  less  than 
those,  who  either  scoffed  at  his  high  and  self-deny- 
ing designs  of  usefulness,  or  from  worldly  motives 
discouraged  him  from  attempting  their  accomplish- 
ment. No  one  could  be  more  ready  than  he  to  con- 
sider the  fittest  means  for  compassing  the  ends  he 
had  in  view,  and  to  weigh  beforehand  the  difficulties 
attending  the  life  of  a  Missionary,  however  favored 
by  external  circumstances.  But  objections  of  a 
contemptuous  kind,  or  those  arguments  which  found- 
ed themselves  on  an  ignorance  of  the  very  spirit 
of  the  Gospel,  painfully  affected  his  mind.  His  re- 
flections, after  concluding  a  long  discourse  with  a 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  8  3 

person  who  had  addressed  him  with  the  kindest  in- 
tentions, but  with  a  judgment  unenhghtened  by  that 
wisdom  which  is  from  above,  are  worth  preserv- 
ing:— ''All  our  conversation  on  the  subject  of  reli- 
gion ended  in  nothing.  He  was  convinced  he  was 
right,  and  all  the  texts  I  produced  were,  according 
to  him,  applicable  onhj  to  the  times  of  the  Apostles, — 
How  am  I  constrained  to  adore  God's  sovereign 
mercy!  My  soul,  dost  thou  not  esteem  all  things  but 
dung  and  dross  for  the  excellency  of  the  knoAvledge 
of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord?  Yea,  did  not  gratitude 
constrain  me — did  not  duty  and  fear  of  destruction 
— ^yet  surely  the  excellency  of  the  service  of  Christ 
would  constrain  me  to  lay  down  a  thousand  lives  in 
the  prosecution  of  it."  When  called  to  encounter 
the  ridicule  of  those  who,  not  knowing  the  hope  of 
Christ's  calling — nor  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  his 
inheritance  in  the  saints — nor  the  exceeding  great- 
ness of  his  power  towards  those  who  believe — des- 
pised all  labors  of  love  amongst  the  Heathen  as 
wild  and  visionary;  the  Lord  helped  him  to  keep 
his  ground,  and  to  bear  his  testimony.  "With  my 
Bible  in  my  hand,  and  Christ  at  my  right  hand," 
said  he,  "I  can  do  all  things—what  though  the 
whole  world  believe  not,  God  abide th  true,  and  my 
hope  in  him  shall  be  stedfast," 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  spring  of  this  year,  he 
had  the  sin^jular  satisfaction  of  being:  introduced  to 
a  personal  acquaintance  with  one  of  a  kindred  spirit 
with  himself, — the  late  Henry  Kirke  White. — Rare 


84  MEMOIP.    OF 

genius,  and  above  all,  sterling  piety,  could  not  iail  of 
being  greatly  admired  and  highly  prized  by  Mr. 
Martyn;  he  took  consequently  the  liveliest  interest 
in  behalf  of  that  extraordinary  young  man,  and  used 
his  utmost  endeavors  to  facilitate  his  entrance  upon 
that  course  at  college,  which  afterwards  proved  so 
brilliant  and  so  transient. 

The  duties  of  a  public  examiner  in  St.  John's  w^ere 
now,  in  the  month  of  June,  for  the  second  time  con- 
signed to  Mr.  Martyn; — the  subjects  for  examina- 
tion being  one  of  them  from  the  classics, — the  other, 
Locke's  Treatise  on  the  Understandins:.  To  those 
who  embark  in  metaphysical  disquisitions  it  will 
serve  as  a  matter  of  caution; — and  to  those  who  are 
harassed  with  distressing  thoughts  it  may  adminis- 
ter consolation^  to  recite  in  Mr.  Martyn's  own  words 
the  exquisite  mental  sufferings  he  endured  after  al- 
lowing his  mind  a  range  of  too  unlimited  a  nature 
in  these  abstract  questions: — "My  soul,"  he  writes 
"was  filled  wdth  greater  misery  and  horror  than  I 
ever  yet  experienced. — I  knew  not  how  to  describe 
my  feelings,  or  how  I  got  into  them — hut  it  was  after 
metaphysical  inquiries  into  the  nature  and  end  of  my 
Beings  and  in  what  consists  the  happiness  of  the  souL 
I  was  afraid  to  leave  off  praying,  and  went  to  bed 
earnestly  commending  my  soul  to  Christ."  "I  trem- 
ble," said  he,  on  the  succeeding  day,  "fo  enter  on' 
these  inquiries,  lest  my  beclouded  reason  should  lead 
riie  to  the  brink  of  hell.  But  I  know  by  experience 
that   the  spirit  of  submission  and  sense  of  the  au- 


REV.     HENRY    MARTYK.  05 

thority  of  God  is  the  only  state  in  which  I  can  ever 
be  happy:  and  precisely  in  proportion  as  I  depart 
from  that  state  of  things,  I  am  unhappy.  And  so 
strong  is  this  sentiment,  that  were  it  not  my  hope 
that  I  should  one  day  ivholly  stihmit  to  God  and  de- 
scend  to  my  right  place,  I  would  not  wish  to  exist 
another  moment.  My  trust  is  that  God  will  ac- 
cording to  the  riches  of  his  grace  in  Christ  Jesus 
enable  a  poor  worm,  who  groans  under  pride,  to 
advance  steadily  and  humbly  to  his  end,  and  pre- 
serve him  from  those  dreadful  thoughts  that  almost 
overwhelm  the  soul." — Thus  when  in  danger  of 
t>eing  "spoiled  by  philosophy,"  was  his  soul  "upheld 
by  the  free  spirit"  of  a  faithful  God. 

It  appeared  now  to  be  past  a  doubt,  that  Mr. 
Martyn  would  succeed  in  obtaining  a  Chaplainship 
in  the  service  of  the  East  India  Company,  and  that 
in  the  ensuing  spring  he  would  be  summoned  to 
leave  the  shores  of  his  native  country  for  ever.  In 
July,  therefore,  he  visited  those  scenes  which  were 
endeared  to  him  by  numberless  early  associations^ 
and  enlivened  by  the  presence  of  many  whom  he 
admired  and  loved.  And  here  it  is  due  to  the  full 
illustration  of  his  Christian  character  to  mention, 
that  it  was  not  merely  the  ties  of  family  or  friend- 
ship which  bound  him  to  Cornwall;  others  there 
were  of  a  tenderer,  if  not  stronger  kind:  for  he  had 
conceived  a  deeply  fixed  attachment  for  one,  of 
wdiom  less  ought  not,  and  more  cannot  be  said,  than 
that  she  was  worthy  of  him:  an  attachmjsnt  which, 
12 


8^  MEMOIR    OF 

whether  he  thought  as  he  afterwards  did,  that  it 
should  be  encouraged,  or  as  he  now  did,  from 
peculiar  circumstances,  that  it  ought  to  be  repress- 
ed, equally  exhibits  him  as  a  man  of  God,  whose 
affections  were  set  upon  things  above  and  not  on 
things  on  the  earth. 

As  this  was  the  first  time  he  had  been  in  Corn- 
wall since  his  ordination,  and  the  last  time  he  ever 
expected  to  visit  it,  he  was  extremely  anxious  to  tes- 
tify the  grace  of  God  in  his  public  ministry,  when- 
ever he  had  an  opportunity.  Such,  however,  was 
the  prejudice  excited  against  his  religious  principles, 
that  his  labors  were  almost  entirely  confined  to  two 
churches  under  the  care  of  his  brother-in-law. 
There  he  frequently  preached,  and  there  both  his 
sisters  heard  him,  the  youngest  with  much  delight, 
the  eldest  with  a  most  gratifying  appearance  of  hav- 
ing been  seriously  impressed  by  what  fell  from  his 
lips.  "I  found,"  said  he,  "that  she  had  been  deeply 
affected,  and  from  her  conversation  I  received  great 
satisfaction — in  the  evening  I  walked  by  the  water 
side  till  late,  having  my  heart  full  of  praise  to  God 
for  having  given  me  such  hopes  of  my  sister." 

To  the  churches  where  he  preached,  the  com- 
mon people  crowded  in  numbers.  At  Kenwyn, 
where  he  addressed  them  from  2  Cor.  v,  20,  21, 
"Now  then  we  are  ambassadors  for  Christ,  as 
though  God  did  beseech  you  by  us,  we  pray  you 
in  Christ's  stead,  be  ye  reconciled  to  God.  For  he 
hath  made  him  to  be  sin  for  us  who  knew  no  sin; 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  8? 

that  we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God 
in  him;" — the  church  was  so  full,  that  many  were 
compelled  to  stand  on  the  outside,  and  many  obliged 
to  go  away.  How  acceptable  he  was  to  those  who 
loved  and  valued  the  Gospel,  may  be  easily  con- 
ceived: yet  such  was  his  vigilance  of  mind  and 
tenderness  of  conscience,  that  "their  commenda- 
tions occasioned  him  some  jpain^^  inasmuch  as 
"they  tended  to  fan  the  flame  of  vanity."  The 
Christian,  especially  the  Christian  minister,  has  to 
pass  through  good  report  and  evil  report — and 
praise  is  a  severer  test  of  the  strength  of  his  princi- 
ples than  dispraise.  Mr.  Martyn  ever  found  it  so, 
and  he  experienced  himself,  as  well  as  exemplified 
to  others,  the  truth  of  those  words  of  wisdom — "as 
the  fining  pot  for  silver  and  the  furnace  for  gold,  so 
is  man  to  his  praise;"  Pro  v.  xxvii,  21. 

In  the  private  and  more  retired  duties  of  his 
calling,  he  was  now  as  usual  most  unremitting  in  his 
attention:  these  in  fact  were  to  him  the  most  de- 
lightful parts  of  his  vocation.  Happier  would  he 
have  esteemed  it,  as  far  as  his  personal  feelings 
were  concerned,  to  kneel,  as  he  did  frequently  with 
his  youngest  sister,  beside  the  beds  of  the  sick  and 
dying,  than  to  have  had  the  largest  churches  in  his 
native  country,  thronged  with  multitudes  attentive 
to  hear  him:  he  was  of  the  spirit  of  that  Redeemer, 
who  sought  to  be  hid  whilst  he  went  about  doing 
good. 

His  habits  of  reading  and  prayer,  and  particu- 
larly those  of  divine  meditation,  were  in  no  degree 


88  IVIEMOIR.   OF 

relaxed  during  this  visit,  and  the  less  so,  because  lie 
acknowledges  that  "he  felt  an  increased  difficulty 
of  living  in  communion  with  God,  where  so  many 
remembered  him  a  different  character."  The  soli- 
tude of  the  spot  where  he  resided  was  happily 
fitted  for  contemplation: — ^"The  scene,"  he  wrote 
in  a  letter  to  a  friend  from  Lamorran,  "is  such  as 
is  frequently  to  be  met  with  in  this  part  of  Corn- 
wall. Below  the  house  is  an  arm  of  the  sea  flowing 
between  the  hills,  which  are  covered  with  wood. 
By  the  side  of  this  water  I  walk  in  general  in  the 
evening,  out  of  the  reach  of  all  sound,  but  the  rip- 
pling of  the  water  and  the  whistling  of  the  curlew." 
In  these  pensive  and  solitary  walks,  the  great  sacri- 
fices he  was  shortly  about  to  make,  could  not  but 
force  themselves  frequently  upon  his  mind,  and  raise 
the  silent  and  involuntary  sigh:  but  we  may  be  well 
assured,  that  "in  the  multitude  of  the  thoughts 
which  he  had  in  his  heart,  God's  comforts  refresh- 
ed his  soul." 

At  length,  after  having  withstood  in  Cornwall,  as 
well  as  at  Cambridge,  the  arguments  of  those  who 
"at  all  events  would  have  detained  him  in  England," 
arguments  of  which  he  confesses  that  "some  were 
not  v^'ithout  weight" — he  prepared  to  leave  that 
part  of  his  native  country  which  was  peculiarly  dear 
to  his  feeling  and  affectionate  heart. 

The  separations  of  Christians  from  each  other  in 
this  world  of  mutability,  afflictive  as  they  ever  must 
kPy  have  their  peculiar  alleviations:  they  know  that 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  89 

Christ  ^'fills  all  things"— and  they  have  the  blissfiil 
expectation  of  an  endless  reunion  in  that  world  of 
glory,  whither  they  are  hastening. 

Mr.  Martyn,  with  respect  to  several  from  whom 
he  was  now  to  part,  could  fully  indulge  in  these 
animating  anticipations:  but  he  could  not  as  it 
respected  all  The  following  is  a  mournful  record 
of  a  final  interview  overclouded  by  the  gloom  of  an 
almost  hopeless  sorrow.  "  *  *  *  rode  with  me  part 
of  the  way,  but  kept  the  conversation  on  general 
subjects.  If  1  brought  him  by  force  to  religion,  he 
spoke  with  the  most  astonishing  apathy  on  the  sub- 
ject. His  cold  deliberate  superiority  to  every  thing 
but  argument,  convinced  me  not  merely  that  he  was 
not  fully  convinced  as  he  said,  but  was  rooted  in  in- 
fidelity. Nothing  remained  for  me  but  to  pray  for 
him.  Though  he  parted  from  me,  to  see  me  pro- 
bably no  more,  he  said  nothing  that  could  betray 
the  existence  of  any  passions  in  him.  O  cursed  in- 
fidelity, that  freezes  the  heart  blood  here  as  well  as 
destroys  the  soul  hereafter.  I  could  only  adore  the 
sovereign  grace  of  God,  who  distinguished  me  from 
him,  though  every  thing  was  alike  in  us.  We  have 
been  intimate  from  our  infancy,  and  have  had  the 
same  plans  and  pursuits,  and  nearly  the  same  con- 
dition; but  one  is  taken,  and  the  other  is  left.  I, 
through  mercy,  find  my  only  joy  and  delight  in  the 
knowledge  of  Christ;  and  he  is  denying  the  truth  of 
religion  altogether." 

By  another  farewell^  which  he  also  has  depicted, 
he  could  not  be  otherwise  than  very  deeply  aiFected: 


90  MEMOIR    OP 

but  the  sorrow  was  of  a  character  very  dissimilar 
to  the  last.  "Rode  before  *  ^  *  with  *  "^  *  to  an 
old  man  five  miles  off.  Our  conversation  was  such 
a&  becometh  saints,  but  it  was  too  pleasant  for  me. 
I 'sighed  at  the  thought  of  losing  their  company. 
When  we  arrived,  the  old  man  was  out,  but  his 
sister,  a  blind  woman  of  seventy,  was  confined  to 
her  bed,  without  any  comfortable  hope.  *  =*  *  and 
myself  said  every  thing  w^e  could  to  cheer  her, 
and  then  I  prayed.  When  the  old  man  arrived,  we 
formed  a  little  circle  before  the  door,  under  the 
trees  and  he  conversed  with  his  young  hearers  con- 
cerning the  things  of  God.  I  then  read  P&alm 
Ixxxiv.  Our  ride  home  was  delightful,  our  hearts 
being  all  devoutly  disposed,  only  mine  was  unhappy. 
Parted  with  *  *  =*  forever  in  this  life,  with  a  sort  of 
uncertain  pain  which  I  knew  would  increase  to 
greater  violence." 

These  forebodings  w^ere  but  too  soon  realized. 
On  the  evening  of  that  day,  and  for  many  succeed- 
ing days,  his  mental  agony  was  extreme — yet  he 
could  speak  to  God,  as  to  one  who  knew  the  great 
conflict  within  him:  he  was  convinced,  that  as  God 
willed  his  happiness,  he  was  providing  for  it  eventu- 
ally by  that  bitter  separation:  he  resolved  through 
grace  to  be  his,  though  it  should  be  through  much 
tribulation:  he  experienced  sweetly  and  solemnly 
the  excellence  of  serving  him  faithfully,  and  of  fol- 
lowing Christ  and  his  Apostles;  he  meditated  with 
great  joy  on  the  end  of  this  world,  and  enjoyed  the 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  91 

thought  of  walking  hereafter  with  her,  from  whom 
he  was  removed,  in  the  realms  of  glory. 

But  Mr.  Martyn  had  not  filled  up  the  measure 
of  his  sufferings,  having  not  yet  bid  adieu  to  his 
sisters.  With  the  eldest  he  spent  one  melancholy 
evening,  in  exhorting  her  for  the  last  time  and  en- 
deavoring to  comfort  her;  and  on  the  succeeding 
day  he  took  leave  of  the  youngest:  "They  parted 
as  if  to  meet  no  more,"  and  overwhelmed  with  in- 
expressible grief,  could  find  no  consolation  but  in 
mutually  commending  each  other  to  the  grace  of 
God  in  prayer. 

Thus  turning  his  back,  like  Abraham  of  old,  on 
his  kindred  and  his  country,  and  looking  for  that 
city  which  hath  foundations,  whose  builder  and 
maker  is  God — Mr.  Martyn  departed  from  Corn- 
wall. 

At  Plymouth,  whither  he  proceeded,  he  passed  a 
Sabbath  in  a  heavenly  serenity  of  spirit,  and  in  the 
full  exercise  of  that  faith  which  is  the  substance  of 
things  hoped  for,  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen. 
There  he  preached  twice;  on  Dan.  v,  22, 23: — "And 
thou  his  son,  O  Belshazzar,  hast  not  humbled  thine 
heart,  though  thou  knewest  all  this;  but  hast  lifted 
up  thyself  against  the  Lord  of  heaven;  and  they 
have  brought  the  vessels  of  his  house  before  thee, 
and  thou,  and  thy  lords,  thy  wives,  and  thy  concu- 
bines, have  drunk  wine  in  them;  and  thou  hast 
praised  the  gods  of  silver  and  gold,  of  brass,  iron* 
wood,  and  stone,  which  see  not*  nor  hear,  nor  knowr 


92  MEMOIR   OF 

and  the  God  in  whose  hand  thy  breath  is,  and  whose 
are  all  thy  ways,  hast  thou  not  glorified;"  and  on 
Rev.  xxii,  17;  "And  the  spirit  and  the  bride  say, 
Come.  And  let  him  that  heareth  say,  Come:  And 
let  him  that  is  athirst  come:  and  whosoever  will,  let 
him  take  the  water  of  life  freely." — "His  soul 
longed,"  he  said,  "for  the  eternal  Avorld,  and  he 
could  see  nothing  on  earth  for  which  he  would  wish 
to  live  another  hour."  At  this  place  an  incident 
occurred  indicative  as  w^ell  of  his  extraordinary 
humility,  as  of  that  extreme  temerity  of  judgment, 
in  which  those,  who  make  a  loud,  though  in  the 
main,  genuine  profession  of  religion,  are  too  apt  to 
indulge.  Having  expounded  the  Scriptures,  and 
prayed  with  many  who  assembled  to  listen  to  his 
parting  words,  he  discovered  that  there  were  some 
present  who  ventured  to  express  a  doubt  of  the  i^eality 
of  Ms  religioru  One  person  in  particular  openly 
avowed  his  apprehensions  concerning  him — so  that 
his  heart  was  wounded:  yet,  observed  that  meek 
and  lowly  man  of  God,  "I  was  thankful  to  God  for 
admonishing  me,  and  my  gratitude  to  the  man  was, 
I  think,  unfeigned." — Such  was  his  recorded  com- 
ment at  the  time — and  it  is  noted  afterwards  in  his 
Journal,  that  this  very  person  was  especially  remem- 
bered by  him  in  his  prayers. 

From  Plymouth,  where  his  sorrow  was  painfully 
renewed,  by  being  separated  from  a  family  nearly 
related  and  greatly  endeared  to  him,  he  proceeded 
to  London;  during  which  journey  he  sought,  accord- 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYIi,  93 

ing  to  his  settled  custom,  to  render  his  conversation 
profitable  to  his  fellow-travellers:  and  In  one  Instance 
on  this  occasion,  his  attempts  were  not,  it  may  be 
hoped,  unattended  with  success.  He  had  for  his 
companion  a  young  French  ofricer,  on  his  parole — - 
a  Protestant,  who  had  been  accustomed,  he  found,  to 
attend  to  morning  and  evening  prayer,  and  to  read 
his  Bible,  which  he  had  unfortunately  lost  when  he 
was  taken  prisoner.  But  his  views  of  the  Gospel 
appearing  to  Mr.  Martyn  very  defective,  he  ex- 
plained to  him  "his  state  by  nature,  his  condemna- 
tion by  the  law,  the  necessity  of  regeneration,  and 
of  free  salvation  by  Christ,  and  the  promise  of  the 
Spirit."  The  young  man  paid  much  attention  to 
these  admonitions,  and  expressed  great  affection  for 
his  adviser;  who  afterwards  presented  him  with  a 
French  Testament,  and  corresponded  with  him  on 
those  important  topics  which  he  had  set  before  him. 
Change  of  place  and  circumstances  did  not  keep 
Mr.  Martyn  from  communing  with  that  Lord  and 
Savior,  who  is  every  where,  and  who  was  with  him 
whithersoever  he  went.  On  this  journey,  when 
leaving  Bath  early  in  the  mornii^,  "He  found  his 
soul  ascending  to  God  with  divine  sweetness.  Noth- 
ing seemed  desirable  but  to  glorify  him:  all  crea- 
tures were  as  nothing." — Towards  the  evening,  as 
they  drew  near  London,  he  Avas  delightfully  engaged 
in  meditation  on  the  latter  part  of  the  s£Cond 
chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  "contem- 
plating the  building  as  it  was  rising,  and  as  it  would 
13 


^4  MEMOIR    OV 

be  when  finished.  O  the  transcendent  glorj/'  said 
he,  "of  this  temple  of  souls,  lively  stones,  perfect  in 
^11  its  parts,  the  purchase  and  the  work  of  God." 

On  the  18th  of  September,  we  find  Mr.  Martyn 
again  quietly  settled  at  Cambridge — from  whence 
his  youngest  sister  received  a  letter  from  him,  of 
which  the  following  is  an  extract;  and  so  excellent 
surely  is  the  spirit  which  pervades  it,  that  tears  of 
thankfulness   for  possessing   such  a  brother   must 
have    mingled   themselves  with  those,   which  she 
could  not  but  shed   abundantly  on  account  of   his 
departure.     "We  should  consider  it  as  a  sign  for 
good,  my  dearest  *  *  ^^  when  the  Lord  reveals  to 
us  the  almost  desperate  corruption  of  our  hearts. 
For,  if  he  causes  us  to  groan  under  it  as  an  insup- 
portable burden;  he  will,  we  may  hope,  in  his  own 
time,  give  us  deliverance.     The  pride  which  I  see 
dwelling  in  my  own  heart,  producing  there  the  most 
obstinate  hardness,  I  can  truly  say,  my  soul  abhors. 
I  see  it  to  be  unreasonable,  I  feel  it  to  be  torment- 
ing.    When  I  sometimes  offer  up  supplications,  with 
strong  crying  to  God,  to  bring  down  my  spirit  into 
the  dust,  I  endeavor  calmly  to  contemplate  the  infi- 
nite  majesty   of  the   most   high  God,  and  my  own 
meanness  and  wickedness.     Or  else  I  quietly  tell 
the  Lord,  who  knows  the  lieart,  that  I  would  give 
him  all  the  glory  of  every  thing  if  I  could.     But 
the  most  effectual  way  I  have  ever  found,  is  to  lead 
away  my  thoughts  from  myself  and  my  own  con- 
cerns, by  praying  for  all  my  friends,  for  the  Church. 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYJf.  93 

the  world,  the  nation;  and,  especially,  by  beseech- 
ing that  God  would  glorify  his  own  great  name,  by 
converting  all  nations  to  the  obedience  of  faith — 
also  by  praying  that  he  would  put  more  abundant 
honor  on  those  Christians  whom  he  seems  to  havGi 
honored  especially,  and  whom  we  see  to  be  mani- 
festly our  superiors.  This  is  at  least  a  positive  act 
of  humility;  and  it  is  certain,  that  not  only  will  a 
good  principle  produce  a  good  act,  but  the  act  will 
increase  the  principle.  But  even  after  doing  all 
this,  there  will  often  arise  a  certain  self-compla- 
cence which  has  need  to  be  checked;  and,  in  con- 
versation with  Christian  friends,  we  should  be  care- 
ful, I  think,  how  self  is  introduced.  Unless  we  think 
that  good  will  be  done,  self  should  be  kept  in  the 
back  ground  and  mortified.  We  are  bound  to  bo 
servants  of  all,  ministering  to  their  pleasure  as  far 
as  will  be  to  their  profit.  We  are  to  'look,  not  at 
our  own  things,  but  at  the  things  of  others.'  B« 
assured,  my  dear  *  *  ^,  that,  night  and  day,  making- 
mention  of  you  in  my  prayers,  I  desire  of  God  to 
give  you  to  see  the  depth  of  pride  and  iniquity  in 
your  heart,  yet  not  to  be  discouraged  at  the  sight  of 
it;  that  you  may  perceive  yourself  deserving  to  be 
cast  out  with  abhorrence  from  God's  presence,  and 
then  may  walk  in  continual  poverty  of  spirit  and  the 
simplicity  of  a  little  child.  Pray,  too,  that  I  may 
know  something  of  humility.  Blessed  grace!  how 
it  smoothes  the  furrows  of  care,  and  gilds  the  dark 
paths  of  life!  It  will  make  ns  kind,  tender-hearted. 


96-  MiBMOIR    OP 

affable;  and  enable  us  to  do  more  for  God  and  the 
Gospel  than  the  most  fervent  zeal  without  it. 

"I  am  here  without  a  companion — at  first  the 
change  from  agreeable  society  in  Cornwall,  as  also 
from  that  I  enjoyed  at  Plymouth,  was  very  irksome, 
but  it  is  good  for  me." 

His  Journal  at  this  period  contains  many  obser- 
%^ations  accordant  with  the  last  sentence  in  this 
letter:  his  mind  naturally  recurred  often  Avith  fond 
and  mournful  recollections  to  Cornwall.  But  he 
endeavored  to  check  such  thoughts  as  savoring  too 
much  "of  earthliness  and  discontent" — "knowing 
that  he  ought  to  be  happy  wherever  God  had 
placed  him;"  and  "being  sure  that  the  exchange  he 
was  soon  to  make  of  college  for  a  stormy  ocean,  and 
the  burning  plains  of  India,  would  not  be  very 
pleasant  to  the  flesh." — 

The  happiness  Mr.  Martyn  enjoyed  in  prosecuting 
his  ministerial  vocation,  received  at  this  time  a  won- 
derful increase:  whilst  sviffering  the  will  of  God 
Avith  the  meek  resignation  of  faith,  he  was  enabled 
to  do  it  with  all  the  delightful  fervency  of  love. 
"Blessed  be  God,"  he  found  reason  to  say,  with 
exceeding  joy  and  gratitude,  '''I  feel  myself  to  he  his 
^minister.  This  thouglit,  which  I  can  hardly  describe, 
came  in  the  morning  after  reading  Brainerd.  I  wish 
for  no  service  but  the  service  of  God,  in  laboring  for 
s^ouls  on  earth,  and  to  do  his  will  in  heaven." — As 
far  as  the  external  duties  of  his  office  were  con- 
cerned, only  this   variation  occurred:   he   became 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  97 

extremely  diligent  in  the  humble  but  most  impor- 
tant work  of  catechising  children;  giving  sometimes 
a  great  part  of  his  evenings  to  the  task,  and  leaving 
the  society  he  most  valued  for  the  sake  of  it.  He 
determined  iikev/rse  upon  preaching  more  frequently 
extempore — (for  he  had  already  at  times  adopted 
the  practice,)  partly  from  thinking  it  upon  the 
Vi^hole  more  profitable  to  himself,  as  well  as  to  the 
congregation;  and  partly  from  the  desire  of  devot- 
ing the  time  spent  in  writing  sermons  to  other  pur- 
poses. He  by  no  means,  however,  renounced  these 
compositions.  On  the  contrary,  he  enjoined  it  upon 
himself  as  a  rule,  never  to  pass  a  week  without 
writing  a  sermon. 

In  visiting  his  flock,  and  thus  preaching  from 
house  to  house,  Mr.  Martyn's  perseverance  kept 
pace  with  the  heightened  pleasure  and  satisfaction 
he  experienced  in  his  divine  calling:  happy  how- 
ever as  he  was  in  this  work  and  labor  of  love,  the 
sympathies  of  his  heart  were  painfully  and  power- 
fully called  forth  at  many  a  scene  of  extreme  mis- 
cry,  and  his  holy  sensibilities  were  yet  more  acutely 
excited  by  the  vice  and  profligacy  he  perpetually 
witnessed. — The  following  are  some  of  several 
scenes  of  wretchedness  with  which  he  was  conver- 
sant:— "In  prayer  I  found  my  soul  composed  to  a 
blessed  and  serious  view  of  eternity — visited  the 
hospital,  and  read  the  11th  chapter  of  John  there, 
with  a  poor  man,  in  whose  room  at  the  work-house 
I  was  struck  w'\th  the  misery  that  presented  itself. 


98  i^EMoiR  or 

He  was  4ying  with  his  clothes  and  hat  on  upon  th^ 
bed  dying.  His  wife  was  cleaning  the  room  as  if 
nothing  was  the  matter;  and  on  the  threshold  was 
the  daughter,  about  thirty  years  old,  who  had  been 
delirious  thirteen  years.  Her  mother  said,  that  the 
poor  creature  sometimes  talked  of  religion:  so  I 
asked  her  several  times  before  I  could  arrest  her 
attention,  who  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners. 
After  several  wild  looks,  she  hastily  answered 
^Christ;'  and  then  talked  on  as  before.  The  dying 
man  was  almost  insensible  to  any  thing  I  could  say. 
He  had  formerly  been  a  respectable  innkeeper  in 
the  town;  but  the  extravagance  of  a  son  brought 
him  to  poverty,  and  his  daughter  w^ho  foresaw  it, 
to  insanity/'' — "In  the  afternoon,  I  enjoyed  solemn 
thoughts  in  prayer,  and  visited  several  people; 
amongst  them  one  poor  penitent,  with  whom  I  had 
prayed  the  day  before.  The  desires  she  expressed 
amidst  her  tears  were,  that  God  would  change  her 
heart,  and  forgive  her,  and  take  her  to  his  mercy. 
If  it  was  his  will  she  wished  to  leave  this  Avorld. 
But,  what,  if  she  should  live,  I  asked  her:  she  said, 
she  could  not  say  she  should  not  sin,  as  she  was  con^ 
stantly  liable;  but  rather  than  turn  to  her  former 
ways,  she  would  be  cut  in  pieces.  I  was  much  af- 
fected with  pity,  and  preached  the  Gospel  of  peace 
with  great  delight  to  her."  At  another  time  when 
a  friend  had  given  him  a  lamentable  account  of  the 
gross  misconduct  of  a  woman  who  had  made  a  pro- 
fession of  religion,  "the  consideration,"  he  said,  quite 


REV.    HENRY     MARTTN.  99 

swallowed  up  my  other  thoughts,  and  brought  me 
to  a  tender  grief  and  godly  sorrow.  I  went  to 
Church,  ruminating  on  it,  and  could  almost  say, 
'rivers  of  waters  run  down  mine  eyes,  because  men 
keep  not  thy  law.'  O  that  I  could  feel  more  sensi- 
bly the  dishonor  done  to  God,  and  to  his  Christ,  and 
to  his  Gospel;  and  the  ruin  she  is  bringing  on  her 
soul."  And,  on  hearing  the  same  day  of  the  death 
of  one  whom  he  had  remembered  in  innocence,  and 
in  the  bloom  of  health  and  beauty;  and  who  died 
after  a  very  short  career  of  vice,  the  account  was 
too  much  for  him;  "my  heart,"  said  he,  Avas  ready 
to  burst.  When  I  thought  of  the  man  who  had 
seduced  her,  and  then  of  many  in  the  University, 
who  had  behaved  with  extraordinary  effrontery  at 
church,  my  soul  groaned  within  me.  O  my  God, 
it  is  enough — hasten,  O  hasten  the  day  when  I  shall 
leave  the  world,  and  come  to  Thee;  when  I  shall 
no  more  be  vexed,  and  astonished,  and  pained  at  the 
universal  wickedness  of  this  lost  earth.  But  here 
would  I  abide  thy  time,  and  spend  and  be  spent  for 
the  salvation  of  any  poor  soul,  and  lie  doAvn  at  the 
feet  of  sinners,  and  beseech  them  not  to  plunge  into 
an  eternity  of  torment." 

How  honorable  and  what  a  delight  the  Sabbath 
was  to  Mr.  Martyn  we  have  already  seen;  it  might 
be  called  with  him  "a  kind  of  transfiguration*  day, 
when  his  garments  shone  with  pecuhar  lustre." — 

*  Gilpin's  Monument  of  Parental  Affection, 


100  IVIERIOIR    OF 

Can  it  be  deemed  irrelevant  tlien  to  advert  again  to 
the  state  of  his  mind,  as  delineated  by  himself 
during  some  of  those  sacred  seasons  at  this  time? 

Sept.  30. — "My  mind,  this  morning,  easily  ascend- 
ed to  God  in  peaceful  solemnity.  I  succeeded  in 
finding  access  to  God  and  being  alone  w^ith  bim. — 
Could  I  but  enjoy  this  life  of  faith  more  steadilv, 
how  much  should  I  'grow  in  grace,'  and  be  rencAved 
in  the  spirit  of  my  mind.  At  such  seasons  of  fel- 
lowship with  the  Father  and  his  Son  Jesus  Christ, 
when  the  world,  and  self,  and  eternity  are  nearly 
in  their  right  places,  not  only  are  my  views  of  duty 
clear  and  comprehensive,  but  the  proper  motives 
have  a  more  constraining  influence." — Oct.  28. 
"This  has  been  in  general  a  happy  day.  In  the 
morning,  through  grace,  I  was  enabled  by  prayer 
to  maintain  a  calm  recollection  of  myself — and  what 
was  better  the  presence  of  my  dear  Redeemer. 
From  church  I  walked  to  our  garden,  where  I  was 
above  an  hour,  I  trust  with  Christ,  speaking  to  him 
chiefly  of  my  future  life  in  his  service.  I  deter- 
mined on  entire  devotedness,  though  'with  tremb- 
ling;' for  the  flesh  dreads  crucifixion.  But  should 
I  fear  pain,  when  Christ  was  so  agonized  for  me? 
No — come  what  will,  I  am  determined,  through 
God,  to  be  a  fellow  worker  with. Christ.  I  recol- 
lected, with  comfort,  that  I  was  speaking  to  the 
great  Creator,  who  can  make  such  a  poor  weak 
w^orm  as  myself  more  than  conqueror.  At  church 
I  found,  by  the  attention  of  (he  people,  that  the 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  101 

fervor  of  my  spirit  yesterday  had  been  conveyed 
into  my  sermon.  I  came  to  my  rooms,  rejoicing  to 
be  alone  again,  and  to  hold  communion  with  God." 
— Dec.  9.  "This  has  been  in  general  a  sweet  and 
blessed  day — a  foretaste  of  my  eternal  Sabbath. 
Preached  on  the  third  commandment;  in  the  af- 
ternoon on  the  tenth.  Rode  back  to  Cambridge, 
feeling  quite  willing  to  go  any  Avhere,  or  suffer  any 
thing  for  God.  Preached  in  Trinity  Church,  on 
Ezek.  xxxiii,  11.  'Say  unto  them,  as  I  live,  saith 
the  Lord  God,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of 
the  v/icked;  but  that  the  wicked  turn  from  his  way 
and  live;  turn  ye,  turn  ye  from  your  evil  ways;  for 
why  will  ye  die,  O  house  of  Israel.'^'  It  was  pleasant 
to  me  to  think  of  being  alone  again  with  God." 

The  year  1804  closed  with  Mr.  Martyn's  being 
a  third  time  selected  as  one  of  the  examiners  in 
St.  John's.  On  fulfilling  which  oflice,  he  speaks 
of  his  "soul  drawing  near  to  God,  whilst  in  the 
hall;  and  of  a  sacred  impression  being  upon  his 
mind  during  the  examination." — "Several  of  the 
poetical  images  in  Virgil,"  in  which  he  had  been 
examining,  "especially  those  taken  from  nature, 
together  with  the  sight  of  the  moon  rising  over 
the  venerable  walls,  and  sending  its  light  through 
the  painted  glass,  turned  away  his  thoughts  from 
present  things,  and  raised  them  to  God.  His  sowl 
was  stirred  up  to  renewed  resolutions  to  live  a  hfe 
of  entire  independence  of  earthly  comforts,  though 
he  felt  that  the  flesh  was  very  w  eak.'^ 
14 


102r  MEIVIOIR   OF 

The  last  day  of  the  year  found  him  "rejoicing 
at  the  lapse  of  time,  but  sorrowing  at  his  unprofit- 
ableness.''   "So    closes,"    he    remarks,   "the    easy 
part  of  my  life;  encircled  by  every  earthly  com- 
fort, and  caressed  by  friends,  I  may  scarcely  be 
said   to  have  experienced  trouble;   but  now    fare- 
well   ease,  if  I   might  presume  to  conjecture.     O 
Lord,  into  thy  hands  I  commit  my  spirit!    Thou 
hast  redeemed  me,  thou  God   of  truth;    may  I  be 
saved  by  thy  grace,  and  be   sanctified   to  do  thy 
will,   now,   and    to    all     eternity,     through    Jesus 
Christ."    His    reflections    on     the     following    day, 
the  first  of  that  year  which  was  his  last  in  England, 
carry  with  them  a  peculiar  interest,  as   well  from 
their  intrinsic  excellence,  as  from  the  circumstances 
under  which   they  were  indited. — Jan.  1,  1805. — - 
"Hitherto  hath  the  Lord  helped  me.     It  is  now 
about  five  years  since  God  stopped  me  in  the  career 
of  w^orldliness,  and  turned  me  from  the  paths  of  sin: 
three  years  and  a  half  since  I  turned  to  the   Lord 
with  all  my  heart;  and  a  httle  more  than  two  years 
since  he  enabled  me  to  devote  myself  to  his  service 
as  a  Missionary.     My  progress  of  late  has  become 
slower  than  it  had  been;  yet  I  can  truly  say,  that  in 
the  course  of  this  time,  every  successive  year,  every 
successive  week,  has  been  happier  than  the  former. 
From  many  dangerous  snares   hath  the  Lord  pre- 
served me:  in  spite  of  all  my  inward  rebellion,  he 
hath  carried  on  his  work  in  my  heart;  and  in  spite 
of  all  my  unbelieving  fears,  he  hath  given  me  a  hope 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  10^3 

full  of  immortality — 'he  hath  set  my  foot  on  a  rock, 
and  established  my  goings,  and  hath  put  a  new  song 
into  my  mouth,  even  praises  to  my  God.'  It  is  the 
beginning  of  a  critical  year  to  me;  yet  I  feel  little 
apprehension.  The  same  grace  and  long  suffering, 
the  same  wisdom  and  power,  that  have  brought  me 
so  far,  will  bring  me  on,  though  it  be  through  fire 
and  water  to  a  goodly  heritage.  I  see  no  business 
before  me  in  life  but  the  work  of  Christ,  neither  do 
I  desire  any  employment  to  all  eternity  but  his 
service.  I  am  a  sinner  saved  by  grace.  Every 
day's  experience  convinces  me  of  this  truth.  My 
daily  sins,  and  constant  corruption,  leave  me  no 
hope  but  that  which  is  founded  on  God's  mercy  in 
Christ.  His  Spirit,  I  trust,  is  imparted,  and  is  re- 
newing my  nature — as  I  desire  much,  though  I  have 
attained  but  little.  Now  to  God,  the  Father,  Son, 
and  Holy  Ghost,  w^ould  I  solemnly  renew  my  self- 
dedication  to  be  his  servant  forever." 

Towards  the  end  of  January,  a  sudden  summons 
to  leave  England  in  ten  days  caused  some  perturba- 
tion in  Mr.  Martyn's  spirits.  Short,  hoAvever,  as 
the  notice  was,  he  would  instantly  have  complied 
with  it  had  he  been  in  Priest's  orders,  which  legally 
he  could  not  be  till  the  18th  February,  when  he 
completed  his  twenty-fourth  year. 

That  solemn  and  most  impressive  rite  of  admis- 
sion to  the  function  and  privileges  of  a  Presbyter 
of  the  Church  of  England,  w^as  administered  to  him, 
who  had  well  "performed  the  office  of  a  Deacon,"  at 


104  MERIom    OF 

St.  James's  Chapel,  London,  in  the  month  of  March: 
after  which,  he  received  the  deo^rce  of  Bachelor  of 
Divinity,  conferred  upon  him  by  mandate  from  the 
University,  when  nothing  remained  to  detain  him 
any  longer  at  Cambridge. 

At  the  thoughts  of  his  departure,  he  confesses 
that  the  flesh  betrayed  its  weakness,  but  he  did 
not  regret  having  resigned  the  world;  life  he  knew 
was  but  a  short  journey — a  little  day,  and  then,  if 
faithful  unto  death,  his  gracious  reward  would 
begin.  Happily  for  him,  such  was  the  divine 
goodness  and  mercy,  he  was,  at  this  moment,  more 
than  ever  persuaded  of  his  being  truly  called  of  God 
to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  Heathen.  "I  rejoice 
to  say,  (he  wrote  to  his  youngest  sister)  that  I  never 
had  so  clear  a  conviction  of  my  call  as  at  present — 
as  far  as  respects  the  inward  impression.  Never 
did  I  see  so  much  the  exceeding  excellency  and 
glory  and  sweetness  of  the  work,  nor  had  so  much 
the  favorable  testimony  of  my  own  conscience,  nor 
perceived  so  plainly  the  smile  of  God.  I  am  con- 
strained to  say — what  am  I,  or  what  is  my  father's 
house,  that  I  should  be  made  willing — what  am  I 
that  I  should  be  so  happy,  so  honored?''  In  his 
Journal  likewise,  he  expresses  himself  to  the  same 
effect:  "I  felt  more  persuaded  of  my  call  than  ever; 
there  was  scarcely  the  shadow  of  a  doubt  left — 
*rejoice,  O  my  soul' — thou  shalt  be  the  servant  of 
God  in  this  life,  and  in  the  next  for  all  the  boundless 
ages  of  eternity." 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  105 

A  remarkable  spirit  of  supplication  likewise  was 
in  this  hour  of  need  poured  out  upon  him,  and  the 
sure  word  of  prophecy  predicting  the  glory  of  the 
latter  times,  was  as  the  dawning  of  the  day  and  the 
rising  of  the  day-star  in  his  heart.  "I  could  not,"  he 
remarks,  "help  reflecting  on  the  almost  supernat- 
ural fervor  and  deep  devotion  which  came  upon  me, 
whilst  I  declared  I  had  rightfully  no  other  business 
each  day  but  to  do  God's  Avork  as  a  servant,  con- 
stantly regarding  his  pleasure."  "My  thoughts 
were  full  of  what  God  would  do  for  his  own  glory, 
in  the  conversion  of  multitudes  to  himself  in  the 
latter  day.  I  did  not  wish  to  think  about  myself  in 
any  respect,  but  found  it  a  precious  privilege  to 
stand  by  a  silent  admirer  of  God's  doings." 

To  be  removed  for  ever  from  many  dear  friends, 
and  from  a  congregation  who  "esteemed  him  very 
highly  in  love  for  his  Avork's  sake,"  would  have 
greatly  afflicted  one  of  far  less  affection  than  that 
which  animated  the  breast  of  Mr.  Martyn.  As 
for  him,  his  sufferings  on  this  occasion  were  most 
severe.  Those  of  his  flock  likewise  were  no  less 
so:  they  could  willingly  have  renewed  the  touch- 
ing scene  once  beheld  at  Miletus,  "sorrowing  as 
they  did  for  the  words  that  he  spake,  that  they 
should  see  his  face  no  more."  One  old  man,  to 
adduce  no  other  instance  of  their  undissembled 
regard  and  poignant  regret,  could  not  refrain  from 
coming  to  him,  that  he  might  commend  him  sol- 
emnly to  God  in  prayer:  and  when  he  delivered 


106  TVffiMOm   OF 

his  farewell  discourse  in  Trinity  Church,  on  these 
words,  (2  Sam.  vii,  27—29,)  "For  thou,  O  Lord 
of  Hosts,  God  of  Israel,  hast  revealed  to  thy  ser- 
vant, saying,  I  will  build  thee  an  house;  therefore 
hath  thy  servant  found  in  his  heart  to  pray  this 
prayer  unto  thee.  And  now,  O  Lord  God,  thou 
art  that  God,  and  thy  words  be  true,  and  thou 
hast  promised  this  goodness  unto  thy  servant:  there- 
fore now  let  it  please  thee  to  bless  the  house  of  thy 
servant,  that  it  may  contbue  forever  before  thee: 
for  thou,  O  Lord  God,  hast  spoken  it:  and  with  thy 
blessing  let  the  house  of  thy  servant  be  blessed  for 
ever;"  the  whole  assembly  was  dissolved  in  grief — 
thus  testifying  by  their  tears,  that  their  attachment 
to  him  was  equalled  only  by  their  admiration  of  his 
character. 

On  the  3rd  of  April,  the  day  after  he  had 
preached  his  valedictory  sermon,  Mr.  Martyn  quit- 
ted for  ever  the  place  which  had  been  "the  dear 
abode  of  his  youth" — in  which  he  had  obtained  no 
moderate  portion  of  honor  and  reputation — and  in 
which,  had  he  deemed  it  right  to  remain,  he  might 
have  acquired  that  ample  share  of  emolument, 
which  talents  such  as  his  never  fail  to  secure.  At 
such  a  moment  he  would  have  been  glad  to  have 
been  left  to  uninterrupted  meditation;  but  many 
young  students  happened  to  accompany  him  on  his 
journey,  and  he  thought  it  his  duty  to  enter  into 
religious  conversation  Avith  them  for  their  benefit. — 
"At  intervals  however,"  said  he,  "I  meditated  and 


REY.     HENRY    MARTYN.  107 

prayed — the  coldness  and  ingratitude  of  my  wicked 
heart  made  me  feel  loathsome  to  myself,  and  I 
longed  but  for  one  thing,  which  was,  to  be  delivered 
from  all  my  iniquity." 

The  day  after  his  arrival  in  London,  other  nat- 
ural feelings  were  called  into  exercise;  feelings 
which  it  is  the  design  of  the  Gospel  to  moderate, 
but  not  suppress.  Some  hymns  sung  in  the  evening, 
at  the  worship  of  that  family  Avhere  he  was  most 
hospitably  received,  recalhng  Cambridge  to  his  re- 
membrance, affected  him  to  tears,  and  as  he  dwelt 
with  melancholy  pleasure  on  its  past  delights,  all  his 
dear  Christian  friends  in  it  seemed  doubly  inter- 
esting. 

During  the  two  months  Mr.  Martyn  was  resident 
in  London,  he  considered  that  he  could  not  better 
employ  his  time,  than  by  devoting  it  to  the  attain- 
ment of  the  Hindoostanee  language,  and  having  the 
advantage  of  being  assisted  by  a  gentleman*  emi- 
nently competent  to  direct  him,  he  was  incessant  in 
his  endeavors  to  obtain  that  necessary  qualification 
for  an  Indian  Missionary.  In  order  also  that  he 
might  correct  some  defects  in  his  speech,  he  at  the 
same  time  deemed  it  incumbent  on  him  to  attend 
several  lectures  on  pronunciation:  for  nothing  did  he 
disdain  which,  tending  to  render  his  ministry  more 
acceptable,  might  conduce  to  the  glory  of  God.  In 
the  delivery  of  the  great  message  committed  to 

*  Mr.  Gilchrist. 


108  -JVIEMOIR    OF 

him  as  an  ambassador  of  Christ,  he  was  at  this  time 
by  no  means  remiss. — During  the  short  period  ot 
his  abode  in  London,  lie  often  preached;  occupying 
the  pulpit  principally  at  St.  John's  Chapel,  Bedford 
Row,  then  under  the  care  of  the  late  Rev.  Richard 
Cecil,  from  whose  holy  example  and  faithful  advice 
Mr.  Marty n  conceived  himself  to  have  derived  the 
most  substantial  and  lasting  benefit.  Nor  was  he 
without  another  high  gratification  and  privilege — 
that  of  being  introduced  to  the  aged  and  venerable 
Mr.  Newton,  who,  expecting  soon  "to  be  gathered 
to  his  people,"  rejoiced  to  give  this  young  minister, 
about  to  proceed  on  his  sublime  embassy  of  love, 
his  paternal  counsel  and  benediction. 

An  intercourse  with  such  men  as  Mr.  Newton  and 
Mr.  Cecil  was  more  than  a  compensation  to  Mr. 
Martyn  for  his  detention  in  London,  and  for  the  un- 
easiness of  that  period  of  uncertainty  and  delay, 
which  is  almost  as  oppressive  to  the  spirits  as  the 
moment  of  actual  departure. — But  if  he  received 
unmingled  satisfaction  and  abiding  profit  from  the 
conversation  he  enjoyed  with  those  eminent  Chris- 
tians, there  were  others  with  whom  he  conferred, 
who,  "seeming  to  be  somewhat,  in  conference  added 
nothing  to  him,"  but,  on  the  contrary  were  the 
occasion  to  him  of  some  disquietude.  Once,  indeed, 
these  very  persons  were  in  the  habit  of  manifesting 
great  cordiality  towards  him:  but  now  they  began 
to  slight  him,  and  in  his  presence  were  continually 
raising  disparaging  comparisons  between  him  and 


REV.  HENRY  MARTYR.  109 

certain  preachers,  whose  theological  sentiments,  if 
not  erroneous,  were  at  least  far  too  exclusive,  and 
whose  strain  of  doctrine,  in  Mr.  Martjn's  judgment, 
was  more  calculated  to  produce  iil-grounded  confi- 
dence, than  righteousness  and  true  holiness.  Inter- 
views of  this  kind  he  endured  rather  than  enjoyed: 
they  are  to  be  ranked  amongst  his  trials,  and  not 
placed  on  the  side  of  his  coinforts. 

The  subject  of  his  union,  likewise,  with  that 
excellent  person,  on  whom  his  affections  were  so 
unalterably  fixed,  became  now  a  matter  of  consid- 
eration and  discussion  amongst  some  of  his  more 
intimate  friends:  and  their  difference  of  opinion 
respecting  the  propriety  of  the  measure,  should  it 
ever  be  attainable,  caused  no  small  tumult  and  an- 
guish in  his  heart. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  were  two  events,  the 
prospect  of  which  was  of  the  most  cheering  com- 
plexion,— one,  the  satisfactory  marriage  of  his  young- 
est sister — the  other,  a  hope  of  being  soon  followed 
to  India  by  two  of  his  friends,  who  strengthened,  if 
not  excited,  by  his  example,  declared  their  willing- 
ness to  go  forth  and  labor  with  him  in  that  distant 
vineyard. 

But  as  it  may  administer  much  profitable,  as  well 
as  encouraging  matter  to  those  who  may  hereafter 
tread  in  the  footsteps  of  Mr.  Martyn,  his  Journal 
shall  speak  for  him  at  some  length  during  the  inter- 
val between  his  quitting  Cambridge  and  preparing 
to  sail  from  England. 
15 


110  MEMOIR    OF 

April  10. — "Walked  out  to  buy  books,  and  strove 
to  be  diligent  in  thinking  of  my  subject*  When 
I  got  into  the  spirit  of  it,  Christ  appeared  at  times 
inexpressibly  precious  to  me. 

April  14. — Sunday.  "I  felt  very  unconcerned 
about  men's  opinions,  before  and  after  my  sermon. 
Before  it,  I  could  solemnly  appeal  to  God,  and  found 
comfort  and  pleasure  in  doing  so,  that  I  desired  his 
glory  alone — that  I  detested  the  thought  of  seeking 
my  own  praise,  or  taking  pleasure  in  hearing  it. 
The  rest  of  the  evening  I  continued  in  a  very 
ardent  frame;  but,  in  private,  I  was  taught  by 
former  experience  to  labor  after  a  calm  and  sober 
devotedness  to  God,  and  that  my  fervor  might  shew 
itself  in  a  steady  course  of  action.  My  soul  felt 
grovv^ing  in  holiness  nigh  unto  the  blessed  God,  with 
my  understanding,  will,  and  affections  turned  towards 
him.  Surely  many  of  the  children  of  God  have 
been  praying  for  me  to-day.  May  the  Lord  return 
their  prayers  tenfold  into  their  own  bosom." — 

April  15. — "O  may  God  confirm  my  feeble  reso- 
lutions! O  what  have  I  to  do  but  labor,  and  pray, 
and  fast,  and  watch  for  the  salvation  of  my  soul,  and 
those  of  the  heathen  world.  Ten  thousand  times 
more  than  ever  do  I  feel  devoted  to  that  precious 
work.  O  gladly  shall  this  base  blood  be  shed,  every 
drop  of  it,  if  India  can  be  benefited  in  one  of  her 
children — if  but  one  of  these  creatures  of  God 
Almighty  might  be  brought  home  to  his  duty." — 

•  The  subject  he  chose  in  the  morning  for  meditation. 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  HI 

April  16. — "How  careful  should  I  and  all  be,  io 
our  ministry,  not  to  break  the  bruised  reed!  Alas,  do 
I  think  that  a  schoolboy,  a  raw  academic,  should  be 
likely  to  lead  the  hearts  of  men?  what  a  knowledge 
of  man,  and  acquaintance  with  the  Scriptures,  what 
communion  with  God,  and  study  of  my  own  heart, 
ought  to  prepare  me  for  the  awful  work  of  a  mes- 
senger from  God  on  the  business  of  the  soul" — 

April  22. — "I  do  not  wish  for  any  heaven  upon 
earth  besides  that  of  preaching  the  precious  Gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ  to  immortal  souls.  May  these  weak 
desires  increase  and  strengthen  with  every  diffi- 
culty."— 

April  27. — "My  constant  unprofitableness  seemed 
to  bar  my  approach  to  God.  But  I  considered  for 
all  that  was  past,  the  blood  of  Christ  would  atone; 
and  that,  for  the  future,  God  would  that  moment 
give  me  grace  to  perform  my  duty."— 

May  7.— "Went  in  the  evening  to  hear  =*  =^  *.  He 
was  on  the  same  subject  as  always,  but  without  va- 
riety. I  confess  1  was  dissatisfied,  not  only  because 
I  could  fix  on  nothing  that  could  edify  me,  but  be- 
cause I  could  not  but  think  that  there  was  nothing: 
to  offend  or  detect  carnal  professors." — 

May  9.-^"0  my  soul,  when  wilt  thou  live  con- 
sistently? When  shall  I  walk  steadily  with  God? 
When  shall  I  hold  heaven  constantly  in  view? 
How  time  glides  away — how  is  death  approaching 
— how  soon  must  I  give  up  my  account — how  are 
souls  perishing — how  does  their  blood  call  out  to 


112  MEMOm    OF 

us  to  labor,  and  watch,  and  pray   for  them  that 
remain." 

May  IG. — "I  went  down  with  Captain  M.  to 
Deptford.  Passing  through  an  inn  which  was 
close  to  the  waters  side,  I*  came  at  once,  to  my 
great  surprise,  close  to  the  Indiaman  before  I  was 
aware  of  it.  The  sudden  sight  of  the  water  and 
of  the  ship  affected  me  almost  to  tears.  My  emo- 
tions were  mixed, — partly  of  joy,  and  partly  of 
trembling  apprehension  at  my  now  being  so  soon  to 
go  away." 

May  18. — "Happening  to  look  over  some  of  my 
farewell  sermons  at  Cambridge,  I  was  affected  to 
tears." 

May  22. — "Heard  Mr.  Crowther  preach.  At 
first  I  could  not  enter  into  those  humiliating  views 
which  I  knew  I  ought  to  have;  but,  by  stirring  up 
myself  to  attend,  and  to  mix  faith  with  what  he 
said,  and  by  turning  every  sentence  into  a  petition, 
I  got  great  good  to  my  soul." 

May  24. — "I  felt  more  than  I  ever  did  in  my  life 
the  shame  attending  poverty;  nothing  but  the  re- 
membrance that  I  was  not  to  blame,  supported  me: 
whatever  comes  to  me  in  the  way  of  Providence  is 
and  must  be  for  my  good.  Dined  at  *  *  *,  where  I 
could  plainly  see  I  was  scarcely  a  welcome  guest: 
the  neglect  of  me  was  too  plain  to  be  unnoticed. 
The  weakness  of  my  human  nature  would  have  ex- 
pressed itself  had  I  not  looked  up  to  God,  and 
prayed  for  a  sight  of  my  desert  of  the  scorn  of  men. 


KEY.    HENRY   MARTYN.  Il3 

Th€  conversation  amongst  these  high  professors  \vas 
of  course  about  *  *  ^\  One  said  to  me,  his  sermons 
are  not  fne  and  eloquent,  but  spiritual — alluding  to 
the  first  of  mine  which  he  had  heard." 

May  30. — "Read  Brainerd.  I  feel  my  heart  knit 
to  this  dear  man,  and  really  rejoice  to  think  of 
meetino:  him  in  heaven." 

June  1. — "Memory  has  been  at  work  to  unnerve 
my  soul;  but  reason,  and  honor,  and  love  to  Christ 
anB  souls  shall  prevail — Amen.     God  help  me." 

June  2. — Whitsunday.  "My  dear  Redeemer  is 
a  fountain  of  life  to  my  soul.  With  resignation,  and 
peace,  can  I  look  forward  to  a  life  of  labor  and 
entire  seclusion  from  earthly  comforts,  while  Jesus 
thus  stands  near  me,  changing  me  into  his  own  holy 
image." 

June  6. — "God's  interference  in  supporting  me 
continually,  appears  to  me  like  a  miracle." 

June  7. — "I  have  not  felt  such  heart-rending  pain 
since  I  parted  with  *  *  *  in  Cornwall.  But  the 
Lord  brought  me  to  consider  the  folly  and  wicked- 
ness of  all  this.  I  could  not  help  saying — Go,  Hin- 
doos— go  on  in  your  misery — ^let  Satan  still  rule  over 
you;  for  he  that  was  appointed  to  labor  among  you, 
is  consulting  his  ease. — No,  thought  I — hell  and 
earth  shall  never  keep  me  back  from  my  work.  I 
am  cast  down,  but  not  destroyed.  I  began  to  con- 
sider why  I  was  so  uneasy — *Cast  thy  care  upon 
him,  for  he  careth  for  you.'  'In  every  thing  by 
prayer  and  supplication,  with  thanksgiving,  let  your 


114  ftlEMOIR    OF 

requests  be  made  known  to  God;' — these  promises 
were  sweetly  fulfilled  before  long  to  me." 

June  8. — "My  heart  was  sometimes  ready  to 
break  with  agony.  At  other  times,  I  was  visited 
by  a  few  moments  of  sublime  and  enraptured  joy. 
Such  is  the  conflict.  Why  have  my  friends  mention- 
ed this  subject?  It  has  torn  open  old  wounds,  and  I 
am  again  bleeding." 

June  13. — "Had  I  a  more  tender  sense  of  mercy, 
I  should  have  delighted  to  write  on  the  subjec?  I 
had  chosen.  Yet  it  is  very  sweet  to  be  desiring 
such  a  state.  I  would  wish,  like  Mary,  to  be  weep- 
ing at  the  feet  of  Jesus." 

June  15. — '*Shed  tears  to-night  at  the  thoughts 
of  my  departure.  I  thought  of  the  roaring  seas 
which  would  soon  be  rolling  between  me  and  all 
that  is  dear  to  me  upon  earth." 

June  23.— "The  grief  of  the  Misses  *  *  %  at  the 
departure  of  their  brother  for  India,  called  forth 
some  of  my  natural  feelings.  Had  I  been  going  from 
necessity^  it  would  almost  break  my  heart.  But  I  go, 
from  choice,  into  a  part  of  the  vineyard  where  my 
dearest  friend  will  be  present.  On  the  subject  of 
the  mission,  I  seemed  assisted  to  unfold  my  heart 
unto  the  Lord,  and  to  pray  for  his  mighty  protec- 
tion in  the  fiery  trial  which  is  about  to  try  me." 

June  26, — "I  heard  something  about  Swartz 
to  day,  which  struck  me  much — his  simple  mode  of 
living." 


REV-   HENRY    MARTYN.  115 

June  28. — "Was  much  struck  and  affected  with 
the  words  of  a  Hottentot  woman,  quoted  in  Mr. 
Biddulph's  sermon.  How  happy  and  honored  am  f, 
in  being  suffered  to  be  a  Missionary." 

July  4th. — "Mr.  Cecil  shewed  me  a  letter  in 
Swartz's  own  hand-writing.  Its  contents  were  of  a 
very  experimental  nature — applicable  to  my  case. 
The  life  of  faith  in  Jesus  is  what  I  want.  My  soul 
may  almost  burst  with  astonishment  at  its  own 
wickedness;  but,  at  the  same  time,  trusting  to 
mercy,  rise  and  go,  and  try  to  make  men  happy. 
The  Lord  go  with  me!  Let  my  right  hand  forget 
her  cunning,  if  I  remember  not  Jerusalem  above  my 
chief  joy." 

After  delivering  a  sermon  to  the  congregation  at 
St.  John's,  upon  Acts  xx,  32;  "And  now,  brethren, 
I  commend  you  to  God,  and  to  the  word  of  his  grace, 
which  is  able  to  build  you  up,  and  to  give  you  an 
inheritance  among  all  them  that  are  sanctified,"  on 
the  8th  of  July,  Mr.  Martyn  left  London  for  Ports- 
mouth; and  such  was  i\\e  acuteness  of  his  feelings 
during  this  journey,  that  he  fainted,  and  fell  into  a 
convulsion  fit,  at  the  inn  where  he  slept  on  the 
road:  a  painful  intimation  to  those  friends  who  were 
with  him,  of  the  poignancy  of  that  grief  which  he 
endeavored  as  much  as  possible  to  repress  and 
conceal.     The  next  morning,  however,  he  was  sufti- 

*  It  were  much  to  be  wished,  that  very  large  extracts  from  Mr.  Swartz's 
Correspondence  with  the  Society  for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge  were 
published.  Much  would  doubtless  be  found  there  **applicable  to  the  case"  of 
Christiana  in  j-erjera/,  and  of  Ministers  and  Missionaries. in  particular. 


116  MEMOIR    OF 

ciently  recovered  to  proceed,  and  was  much  re- 
freshed in  his  spirits  at  the  sight  of  many  of  his 
brethren  at  Portsmouth,  who  had  coaie  (several 
from  a  considerable  distance)  that  they  might  affec- 
tionately accompany  him  to  the  ship.  Among  these, 
was  one  whose  presence  afforded  him  an  unex- 
pected happiness.  "To  be  obliged  to  give  up  all 
hopes  of  your  accompanying  me  to  Portsmouth," 
(he  had  written  a  short  time  before  to  Mr.  Sim- 
eon,) "is  a  greater  disappointment  than  I  can  well 
describe.  Having  been  led  to  expect  it,  I  seemed  to 
experience  a  painful  privation.  However,  you  will 
not  now  have  the  pain  of  observing  in  your  broth- 
er a  conversation  and  spirit  unsuitable  to  the  impor- 
tant work  on  which  he  is  going.  Yet  this  I  believe, 
that  though  I  have  little  affection  towards  heavenly 
things,  I  have  less  towards  every  thing  earthly." 
From  Mr.  Simeon  he  learnt,  to  his  exceeding  com- 
fort, that  his  flock  at  Cambridge  intended  on  the 
day  of  his  departure,  as  far  as  it  could  be  ascertain- 
ed, to  give  themselves  up  to  fasting  and  prayer — 
and  at  his  hands  he  received,  with  peculiar  gratifica- 
tion, a  silver  compass,  sent  by  them,  as  a  memorial 
of  their  unfeigned  affection:  for  which  the  following 
letter  is  expressive  of  his  acknowledgments: — 


Portsmouth,  July  11,  ISOJ. 


"my  dearest  brethrex, 


"I  WRITE  in  great  haste  to  thank  you  most  affection- 
ately for  the  token  of  your  love,  which  our  dear 


REY.    HENRY    MARTYN.  117 

brother  and  minister  has  given  me  from  you.  O 
may  my  God  richly  recompense  you  for  your  great 
affection!  May  he  reward  your  prayers  for  me,  by 
pouring  tenfold  blessings  into  your  own  bosoms! 
May  he  bless  you  with  all  spiritual  blessings  in 
Christ  Jesus!  At  the  command  of  God,  as  I  believe, 
I  shall,  in  a  few  hours,  embark  for  those  regions 
where  your  little  present  may  be  of  use  to  me,  in 
guiding  my  way  through  the  trackless  desert.  I 
pray  that  the  word  of  God,  which  is  your  compass, 
may,  through  the  Spirit,  direct  your  path  through 
the  wilderness  of  this  world,  and  bring  you  in  safety 
to  the  better  country  above.  I  beg  your  prayers, 
and  assure  you  of  mine.  Remember  me  some- 
times at  your  social  meetings,  and  particularly  at 
that  which  you  hold  on  the  Sabbath  morning.  Pray 
not  only  for  my  sinful  soul,  that  I  may  be  kept  faith- 
ful unto  death;  but,  especially,  for  the  souls  of  the 
poor  Heathen.  Whether  I  live,  or  die,  let  Christ 
be  magnified  by  the  ingathering  of  multitudes  to 
himself.  I  have  many  trials  awaiting  me,  and  so 
have  you;  but  that  covenant  of  grace,  in  which  we 
are  interested,  provides  for  the  weakest,  and  secures 
our  everlasting  welfare.  Farewell,  dear  brethren! 
May  God  long  continue  to  you  the  invaluable  labors 
of  your  beloved  minister:  and  may  you,  with  the 
blessing  of  God  on  his  ministry,  grow  day  by  day  in 
all  spirituality  and  humility  of  mind,  till  God,  in  his 
mercy,  shall  call  you  each  in  his  own  time,  to  the 
eternal  enjoyment  of  bis  glory." 


118 


IVIOIOIR    OF 


The  few  days  Mr.  Martyn  remained  at  Ports- 
mouth were  spent  in  conversing  with  his  brethren 
on  the  things  pertaining  to  the  kingdom  of  God. 
in  social  supphcation  and  thanksgiving.  His 
prayer,  on  the  day  he  expected  finally  to  quit  the 
shores  of  England,  will  not  easily  be  forgotten  by 
those  who  bowed  their  knees  too^ether  with  him  to 
the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ:  it 
ascended  to  the  "lofty  One,"  from  the  lowest  depths 
of  humiliation,  and  it  breathed  the  most  entire  de- 
votedness  of  body,  soul,  and  spirit  to  his  service. 
His  whole  demeanor,  indeed,  could  not  fail  of 
tenderly  affecting,  as  well  as  indelibly  impressing 
their  hearts  and  minds.  One  of  those  then  pre- 
sent, who  little  thought  that  the  task  he  now  so 
inadequately  attempts  to  execute  would  ever  be 
assigned  him,  well  remembers  his  own  sensations 
on  that  most  trying  but  triumphant  occasion;  and 
how  completely  every  thought  within  him  was  ab- 
sorbed in  admiration  of  the  astonishing  grace 
bestowed  on  his  friend,  and  in  bitter  regret  at 
being  for  ever  to  be  deprived  of  his  society. — Nor 
let  it  be  here  surmised,  that  Mr.  Martyn's  sacrifices 
and  sufferings  have  been  magnified,  from  being 
contemplated  through  a  medium,  raised  by  the 
fond  and  ill-judging  partiality  of  friendship.  His 
situation  as  a  chaplain  to  the  East  India  Company, 
it  is  readily  admitted,  was  an  eligible,  or,  as  it 
might  be  deemed,  an  enviable  station.  But  this, 
so   far  as   worldly   prospects  are  concerned^  would 


REV.    HENRY   MARTVN.  119 

have  been  contemptible  in  his  eyes  when  placed  in 
competition   with  the  poorest  curacy   in   Cornwall 
And  it  ought  not  to  be  forgotten,  in  our  estimate 
of  his   privations,  that,  although  he  was  not  the 
only  one  of  the  many  sailing  with  him  from  the 
happy  land  of  their  nativity,  who  clung  to  it  with 
ardency  of  affection,  and  parted  from  it  with  the 
most  lively  sorrow,   without  disparaging  their  mo- 
tives, those   by  which  he  w^as  actuated  were  solely 
of  a  spiritual  kind:  they  too,  it  must  be  remembered, 
were  cheered  with  the  hope  of  one  day  shedding 
the  tears  of  joy,  where  then  they  were  pouring  forth 
those  of  sadness — but  no  such  distant  gleam  streaked 
Mr.  Martyn's  horizon.     He  went  forth  to  preach 
the  Gospel  to  the  Heathen,  and  it  was  his  fixed 
resolution  to  live  and  die  amongst  them*      When  he 
left  England,  he  left  it  wholly  for  Chrisfs  sake,  and 
he  I  ft  it  for  ever. 

On  the  17th  day  of  July,  the  Union  East  India- 
man,  which  was  to  convey  Mr.  Martyn  to  Calcutta, 
sailed  from  Portsmouth,  in  company  with  a  large 
fleet  under  command  of  Captain  Byng,  and  two  days 
afterwards  came  to  an  anchor  in  the  port  of  Fal- 
mouth. An  extract  of  a  letter  Avritten  from  this 
place  to  Mr.  vSimeon,  feelingly  depicts  Mr.  Martyn's 
sensations,  when  rising  on  the  morning  of  the  17th 
he  found  that  his  voyage  was  really  commenced: — 
"It  was  a  very  painful  moment  to  me  when  I  awoke 
on  the  morning  after  you  left  us,  and  found  the  fleet 
actually  sailing  down  the  channel.     Though  it  was 


120  MEMOIR    OF 

what  I  had  anxiously  been  looking  forward  to  so 
long,  yet  the  consideration  of  being  parted  for  ever 
from  mj  friends,  almost  overcame  me.  My  feelings 
were  those  of  a  man  who  should  suddenly  be  told, 
that  every  friend  he  had  in  the  world  was  dead. 
It  was  only  by  prayer  for  them  that  I  could  be 
comforted;  and  this  was  indeed  a  refreshment  to 
my  soul,  because  by  meeting  them  at  the  throne  of 
grace,  I  seemed  again  to  be  in  their  society." 

The  arrival  of  the  fleet  at  Falmouth  was  an  event 
Avholly  unforeseen  by  Mr.  Martyn,  who  was  some- 
w^hat  agitated  "at  the  singularity  of  the  providence 
of  God,  in  leading  him  once  more  into  the  bosom  of 
all  his  friends."  "May  the  Lord,"  said  he,  "glorify 
himself  in  this  and  in  every  other  dispensation!" 
— How  trying  this  dispensation  was  to  him,  it  will 
not  require  many  quotations  from  his  Journal  to  de- 
monstrate. From  these  it  will  be  evident,  that  de- 
lightful as  it  was  to  him  once  more  to  land  upon  the 
shores,  where  he  had  sported  gaily  in  his  infancy, 
and  meditated  divinely  in  maturer  age,  it  would 
have  been  far  happier  for  him  had  a  storm  in  the 
night  hurried  him  past  his  beloved  Cornwall.  But 
God,  who  doeth  all  things  well,  manifestly  intended 
to  strengthen  his  faith,  by  putting  it  to  a  severe 
exercise. 

July  29* — "I  was  much  engaged  at  intervals  in 
learning  the  hymn,  'The  God  of  Abraham  praise;' 
as  often  as  I  could  use  the  language  of  it  with  any 
truth,  my  heart  was  a  little  at  eas^. 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  12!| 

*The  God  of  Abraham  praise. 
At  whose  supreme  command 
From  earth  I  rise  and  seek  the  joys 

At  his  right  hand; 
I  all  on  earth  forsake. 
Its  wisdom,  fame,  and  power; 
And  him  my  only  portion  make, 

My  shield  and  tower.* 

*'There  was  something  peculiarly  solemn  and  affect- 
ing to  me  in  this  hymn,  and  particularly  at  this  time. 
The  truth  of  the  sentiments  I  knew  well  enough. 
But,  alas!  I  felt  that  the  state  of  mind  expressed  in 
it  Avas  above  mine  at  the  time,  and  I  felt  loth  to 
forsake  all  on  earth. 

"Not  being  able  to  reach  the  ship,  I  slept  at  a 
little  public-house  on  the  road,  where  I  lay  doAvn  in 
the  most  acute  mental  misery;  and  rose,  the  next 
morning,  disturbed  and  unrefreshed.  The  morning 
was  beautifully  serene,  but  on  account  of  the  tem- 
pest within,  that  very  circumstance  was  disgusting  to 
me.  A  dark  and  stormy  day  would  have  been 
more  in  unison  with  my  feelings." 

"I  went  on  board  in  extreme  anguish,  and  found 
an  opportunity  in  the  sloop  by  which  I  passed  to  the 
ship,  to  cry,  with  brokenness  of  spirit,  to  the  Lord. 
The  words  'Why  sayest  thou,  O  Jacob,  and  speak- 
est,  O  Israel,  my  way  is  hid  from  the  Lord,  and  my 
judgment  is  passed  over  from  my  God?'  were 
brought  to  my  mind  with  such  force,  that  I  burst 
into  a  flood  of  tears:  and  felt  much  relieved  in  my 
soul,  that  God  was  thus  compassionate,  and  the 
blessed  Lord  Jesus  a  merciful  and  compassionate 


122f  MEMom.   OP 

High  Priest,  who  condescended  to  sympathise  with 
me.  In  the  afternoon,  it  pleased  God  to  give  me  a 
holy  and  blessed  season  in  prayer,  in  which  my  soul 
recovered  much  of  its  wonted  peace." — Thus  did 
God,  in  answer  to  prayer,  in  some  measure  refresh 
his  soul.  An  attempt,  also,  which  he  made  to  com- 
fort another  person  in  the  ship  with  him,  served  to 
invigorate  his  own  drooping  spirit.  "They  stood 
together,"  as  he  represents  it,  "looking  anxiously  at 
the  raging  sea,  and  sighed  to  think  of  the  happy 
societies  of  God's  people,  who  (as  it  was  the  Sab- 
bath day)  were  then  joining  in  sweet  communion  in 
public  worship."  But  the  topics  of  consolation 
which  Mr.  Martyn  endeavored  to  bring  before  his 
disconsolate  companion,  had  a  happy  reaction  on  his 
own  mind — whilst  cheering  him  he  was  cheered 
himself,  and  "the  blessed  Spirit  of  God  applied  the 
blood  of  Jesus  to  cleanse  away  his  sin,  and  restore 
him  to  comfort;"  and  at  night  he  could  commit  him- 
self to  rest,  "tossed,"  as  he  expresses  it,  "by  the  roar- 
ing surge,  but  composed  and  peaceful  Avith  the 
everlasting:  arms  underneath  him." 

During  his  detention  for  about  three  weeks  at 
Falmouth,  he  preached  several  times  in  the  ship,  as 
well  as  on  shore:  and,  amongst  other  texts,  he  ad- 
dressed his  hearers  from  that  most  appropriate 
one,  "Jesus  came  and  spake  unto  them,  saying.  All 
power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  on  earth.  Go 
ye  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them 
in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of 


KEY.   HENRY    MARTIN.  123 

the  Holy  Ghost.  Teaching  them  to  observe  all 
things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you:  and  lo! 
I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the 
world.  Amen."  Matt,  xxviii,  18 — 20.  A  sermon 
from  Mr.  Martyn  on  those  words  of  Scripture,  was 
well  calculated  to  produce  a  powerful  effect  on  the 
minds  of  his  audience;  for  the  very  circumstance  of 
his  coming  amongst  them,  shewed  that  "the  kingdom 
of  God  was  not  in  word,  but  in  power." 

On  the  10th  of  August,  the  signal  Avas  made  for 
the  ships  to  sail,  at  which  time  having  been  de- 
ceived in  the  information  communicated  to  him  con- 
cerning the  continuance  of  the  fleet  in  port,  Mr. 
Martyn  was  absent  at  the  distance  of  twenty  miles 
in  the  country.  The  express  announcing  this  mis- 
take was  like  a  thunder-stroke  to  him:  but  by 
making  all  possible  dispatch,  he  contrived  to  reach 
the  Union  just  in  time.  That  ship,  as  if  by  the 
appointment  of  Providence,  had  met  with  an  acci- 
dent on  clearing  out  of  the  harbor,  which  impeded 
her  progress,  whilst  almost  all  the  others  were 
under  weigh.  The  commander,  as  he  passed,  ex- 
pressed his  displeasure  at  her  delay:  but  Mr.  Mar- 
tyn discovered  the  high  and  gracious  hand  of  God 
in  this  event,  and  "blessed  him  for  having  thus 
saved  his  poor  creature  from  shame  and  trouble." 
"So  delusive,"  to  adopt  his  own  reflections,  "are 
schemes  of  pleasure!  At  nine  in  the  morning,  I  was 
sitting  at  ease  with  the  person  dearest  to  me  upon 
earth,  intending  to  go  out  with  her  afterwards  to  see 


124  IMEMOIR    OF 

different  views,  to  visit  some  persons  with  her,  and 
preach  on  the  morrow;  four  hours  only  elapsed,  and 
I  was  under  sail  from  England." 

The  anxiety  Mr.  Martyn  had  felt  to  reach  his 
ship,  and  the  joy  he  experienced  at  having  effected 
his  object,  for  a  time  absorbed  other  sorrowful  con- 
siderations: but  Avhen  left  a  little  at  leisure,  his 
spirits,  as  he  acknowledges,  began  to  sink.  ''He 
seemed  backward,  also,  to  draw  near  to  God,  and 
though  when  he  did  so,  he  found  relief,  he  was  still 
slow  to  flee  to  the  refuge  of  his  weary  soul." — 

Unhappily  for  him,  during  the  w^hole  of  the  10th, 
and  for  the  greater  part  of  the  succeeding  day, 
Cornwall  was  in  sio^ht;  and  who  is  there  endued 
with  the  sensibilities  of  our  common  nature,  but 
must  have  been  subjected  to  the  most  painful  emo- 
tions, whilst  slowly  passing  for  the  last  time  along  a 
coast,  where  every  object  which  caught  the  eye — 
every  headland — every  building — every  wood,  serv- 
ed to  remind  him  of  endearments  that  were  past, 
and  of  pleasures  never  to  be  renewed.'* 

That  Apostle,  who  professed  that  he  was  "ready 
not  to  be  bound  only,  but  to  die  at  Jerusalem,  for 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,"  exclaimed  also — 
"what  mean  ye  to  weep  and  break  my  heart?"  x4nd 
he,  too,  when  sailing  to  Rome,  along  the  "sea  of 
Cilicia,"  may  well  be  supposed  to  have  looked 
mournfully  towards  the  region  of  his  nativity,  and 
to  have  thought  with  pain  on  Tarsus. 


REV.    HENRY   MAHTYN.  125 

But  Mr.  Martyn's  own  hand  sliall  portray  his  feel- 
ings.— Sunday,  August  11.  "I  rose  dejected,  and 
extremely  weak  in  body.  After  simply  crying  to 
God  for  mercy  and  assistance,  I  preached  on  Heb. 
xi,  16: — 'But,  now,  they  desire  a  better  country, 
that  is,  an  heavenly:  wherefore  God  is  not  ashamed 
to  be  called  their  God,  for  he  hath  prepared  for 
them  a  city.'  On  repeating  the  text  a  second  time, 
I  could  scarcely  refrain  from  bursting  into  tears. 
For  the  Mount  and  St.  Hilary  spire,  and  trees  were 
just  discernible  by  the  naked  eye  at  the  time  I  be- 
gan my  sermon,  by  saying  that  now  the  shores  of 
England  were  receding  fast  from  our  view,  and  that 
we  had  taken  a  long,  many  of  us,  an  everlasting  fare- 
well, (fee.  We  had  made  little  way  during  the 
night,  and  so  in  the  morning  I  was  pleased  to  find 
we  were  in  Mount's  Bay,  midway  between  the 
Lands-End  and  the  Lizard,  and  I  was  often  with 
my  glass  recalling  those  beloved  scenes — till  after 
tea,  when  ascending  the  poop,  I  found  they  had  dis- 
appeared: but  this  did  not  prevent  my  praying  for 
all  on  shore.  Amidst  the  extreme  gloom  of  my 
mind  this  day  I  found  great  pleasure,  at  seasons  of 
prayer,  in  interceding  earnestly  for  my  beloved 
friends  all  over  England." 

The  dejection  of  mind  of  which  Mr.  Martyn  here 
speaks,  and  which  returned  the  next  day  with  an 
overpowering  influence,  waS  evidently  combined 
with,  and  augmented  by  much  bodily  infirmity,  and 
no  doubt  would  have  been  alleviated  by  the  sympa- 
17 


12b"  MEMOIR     OF 

thizing  intercourse  of  a  companion  in  tribulation,  and 
in  the  kingdom  and  patience  of  Jesus  Christ.  The 
original  injunction  given  to  the  seventy,  was  given 
by  him  who  knew  what  was  in  man,  and  who  there- 
fore sent  them  ''two  and  two  before  his  face  into 
every  city" — for  "two  are  better  than  one,  because 
they  have  a  good  reward  for  their  labor:  for  if  they 
fall,  the  one  will  lift  up  his  fellow;  but  woe  to  him 
that  is  alone  when  he  falleth,  for  he  hath  not  an,- 
other  to  help  him  up." — Eccles.  iv,  9,  10. 

"England  had  disappeared,  and  with  it,  all  my 
peace." — "The  pains  of  memory  were  all  I  felt." — 
"Would  I  go  back?  O  no — but  how  can  I  be  sup- 
ported? my  faith  fails.  I  find,  by  experience,  I  am 
weak  as  water.  O  my  dear  friends  in  England^ 
when  we  spoke  with  exultation  of  the  mission  to 
the  Heathen,  whilst  in  the  midst  of  health,  and  joy, 
and  liope;  what  an  imperfect  idea  did  we  form  of 
the  sufferings  by  which  it  must  be  accomplished." 
Such  were  the  complainings  of  his  spirit,  over- 
whelmed within  him.  Yet  there  were  moments 
when  he  could  "realize  the  realms  of  glory,"  and 
when  "all  earthly  things  died  away  in  insignificance.'- 

On  the  14th  of  August  the  fleet  came  to  an  an- 
chor in  the  Cove  of  Cork:  and  there,  in  a  spiritual 
sense,  Mr.  Martyn  found  that  haven  wher,e  he  would 
be: — there  he  discovered  that  "heaviness  may  en- 
dure for  a  night,  but  that  joy  cometh  in  the  morn" 
ing;"  and  he  who  before  had  felt  "poor  and  needy, 
with  his  heart  woimded  within  him,"  could  then  say 


REV.    rtENRt   IMARTYN.  12*^ 

"thanks  be  to  God,  which  causeth  us  always  to 
triumph  in  Christ;"  2  Cor,  ii,  14. — "After  a  long  and 
blessed  season  in  prayer,  I  felt,  he  says,  the  spirit  of 
adoption  drawing  me  very  near  to  God,  and  giving 
me  the  full  assurance  of  his  love.  My  fervent  pray- 
er was,  that  I  might  be  more  deeply  and  habitually 
convinced  of  his  unchanging  everlasting  love,  and 
that  my  whole  soul  might  be  altogether  in  Christ. 
I  scarcely  knew  how  to  express  the  desires  of  my 
heart.  I  wanted  to  be  all  in  Christ,  and  to  have 
Christ  for  my  'all  in  all' — to  be  encircled  in  his  ever- 
lasting arms,  and  to  be  swallowed  up  altogether  iii 
his  fulness.  I  wish  for  no  created  good,  or  for  men 
to  know  my  experience;  but  to  be  one  with  thee,- 
and  live  for  thee,  O  God,  my  Savior  and  Lord.  O 
may  it  be  my  constant  care  to  live  free  from  the 
spirit  of  bondage,  at  all  times,  having  access  to  the 
Father.  This  I  feel  should  be  the  state  of  the 
Christian:  perfect  reconciliation  with  God,  and  a 
perfect  appropriation  of  him  in  all  his  endearing  at- 
tributes, according  to  all  that  he  has  promised:  it 
is  this  that  shall  bear  me  safely  through  the  storm." 
- — What  is  this  but  the  happiness  intended  by  the 
Psalmist,  when  he  breaks  forth  in  those  w^ords  of 
sublimity  and  rapture:  'Blessed  are  the  people 
which  know  the  joyful  sound — they  shall  walk,  O 
Lord,  in  the  light  of  thy  countenance:  in  thy  name 
shall  they  rejoice  all  the  day,  and  in  thy  righteous- 
ness shall  they  be  exalted.' — Psalm  ixxxix,  15,  16. 


128  IViEMOIR    OF 

At  Cork,  Mr.  Martjn  endeavored  to  procure 
an  admission  to  a  pulpit  in  the  city,  as  well  as  to 
preach  to  the  convicts  going  out  with  the  fleet  to 
Botany  Bay,  but  was  unsuccessful  in  both  these 
attempts. — On  board  his  own  ship  he  regularly 
read  prayers,  and  preached  once  every  Sabbath, 
lamenting  that  the  Captain  would  not  permit  the 
performance  of  more  than  one  service.  This 
being  the  case,  his  usefulness  in  the  ship  depended 
much,  he  conceived,  upon  his  private  ministration. 
Scarcely  a  day  therefore  passed,  without  his  going 
between  the  decks;  where,  after  assembling  all 
who  were  willing  to  attend,  he  read  to  them  some 
religious  book,  upon  which  he  commented  as  he 
went  on.  "Some  attend  fixedly — others  are  looking 
another  way — some  women  are  employed  about 
their  children,  attending  for  a  little  while,  and  then 
heedless:  some  rising  up  and  going  away — others 
taking  their  place;  and  numbers,  especially  of  those 
who  have  been  upon  watch,  strewed  all  along  upon 
the  deck  fast  asleep- — one  or  two  from  the  upper 
decks  looking  down  and  listening:"  such  is  the 
picture  he  draws  of  his  congregation  below. — 
The  situation  of  things  above,  when  he  perform- 
ed his  weekly  duty  on  the  Sabbath,  was  not,  ac- 
cording to  his  own  statement,  more  ensouraging. 
There,  the  opposition  of  some,  and  the  inattention 
of  others,  put  his  meekness  and  pa.ience  very 
strongly  to  the  test.  "The  passengers,"  as  he  de- 
scribes it,  "were  inattentive — the  officers,  many  of 


REV.    HENRY     MARTY^T.  129 

them,  sat  drinking;  so  that  he  could  overhear  their 
noise,  and  the  Captain  was  with  them.  His  own 
soul  was  serious,  and  undisturbed  by  the  irrever- 
ence of  the  hearers,  and  he  thought  he  could  have 
poured  it  out  in  prayer,  without  restraint,  in  defi- 
ance of  their  scornful  gaze."  "How  melancholy 
and  humiliating,"  he  could  not  help  adding,  "is  this 
mode  of  public  ordinances  on  ship-board,  compared 
with  the  respect  and  joy  with  which  the  multitudes 
come  up  to  hear  my  brethren  ashore;  but  this  pre- 
pares me  for  preaching  amongst  the  heedless  Gen- 
tiles." 

On  the  31st  of  August,  after  having  been  de- 
tained above  a  fortnight  in  the  Cove  of  Cork,  the 
fleet,  consisting  of  fifty  transports,  ^ve  men  of  war, 
and  the  Indiaman,  put  to  sea;  and  now  again 
Mr.  Martyn  suftered  much  both  in  body  and  mind: 
he  became  languid  and  feverish,  and  his  nights  were 
sleepless — and  his  mental  conflict  was  extremely 
severe.  "My  anguish  at  times,"  he  says,  "was  inex- 
pressible, when  I  awoke  from  my  disturbed  dreams, 
to  find  myself  actually  on  my  way,  with  a  long  sea 
rolling  between  me  and  all  I  held  dear  in  this  life." 

"To  describe  the  variety  of  perplexing,  heart- 
rending, agonizing  thoughts  which  passed  through, 
my  mind,  and  which,  united  with  the  weakness  and 
languor  of  my  body,  served  to  depress  me  into  the 
depths  of  misery,  would  be  impossible.  The  bodily 
suffering  would  be  nothing,  did  not  Satan  improve 
his  advantage,  in  representing  the   happiness  and 


130  MEMOIR    OP 

case  of  the  life  I  had  left.  However,  God  did  riot 
leave  me  qiiite  alone,  poor  and  miserable  as  I  wag, 
I  was  helped  to  recollect  several  things  in  Script ure^ 
which  encouraged  me  to  hold  on.  Such  as  'If  we 
suffer  with  him,  we  shall  also  reign  with  him;'  the 
examples  likewise  of  Moses,  Abraham,  and  St.  Paul, 
of  our  blessed  Lord  himself,  and  of  his  saints  at  the 
present  moment.  I  repeated  the  farewell  discourse 
of  St.  Paul,  and  endeavored  to  think  how  he  would 
act  in  my  situation.  I  thought  of  all  God's  people 
looking  out  after  me  with  expectation;  following  me 
with  their  wishes  and  prayers.  I  thought  of  the 
holy  angels,  some  of  whom  perhaps  were  guarding 
me  on  my  way;  and  of  God,  and  of  Christ,  approv- 
ing my  course  and  mission.  'Who  will  go  for  me? — 
here  am  I — send  me.'  I  thought  of  the  millions  of 
precious  souls  that  now  and  in  future  ages  might  be 
benefited." — By  such  considerations  as  these,  by 
prayer— by  reciting  Scripture — by  praying  over 
it — by  casting  himself  simply  upon  Christ — and  by 
looking  upon  pain  and  suffering  as  his  daily  portioft 
(which  thought  wonderfully  served  to  tranquillize 
his  mind,)  Mr.  Marty n  was  carried  through  a  season 
of  great  tribulation,  when  he  might  almost  have 
adopted  the  words  of  the  Psalmist,  "Thou  hast 
laid  me  in  the  lowest  pit,  in  darkness,  in  the  deeps. 
Thine  indignation  lieth  hard  upon  me,  and  thou  hast 
afflicted  me  with  all  thy  waves;"  Psalm  Ixxxviii,  6,  7. 
But  it  is  an  inspired  declaration^  that  "they  that 
wait  on  the  Lord  shall  rencio  their  strength:  they 


REV.    HENRY    MAIlTY?r.  131 

shall  mount  up  with  wings  as  eagles,  they  shall  run 
and  not  be  weary;  they  shall  walk  and  not  faint:" 
nor  was  it  long  before  he  could  affix  his  seal  to  the 
truth  of  this  testimony.  "In  prayer,"  he  says,  soon 
after  this,  "I  soon  launched  sweetly  into  eternity, 
and  found  joy  unspeakable  in  thinking  of  my  future 
rest,  and  of  the  boundless  love  and  joy  I  should  ever 
taste  in  Christ's  beloved  presence  hereafter.  I 
found  no  difficulty  to  stir  myself  up  to  the  contem- 
plation of  heaven— my  soul  through  grace,  realized 
it,  and  I  delighted  to  dwell  by  faith  in  those  blissful 
scenes." 

Shortly  after  the  fleet  had  sailed  from  Ireland,  a 
tremendous  storm  arose — the  first  that  Mr.  Martyn 
had  ever  witnessed.  During  a  night  of  general 
anxiety  and  consternation,  his  mind  was  kept  in  per- 
fect peace.  "He  lay,  endeavoring  to  realize  his 
speedy  appearance  before  God  in  judgment — not 
indeed  Avithout  sorrowful  convictions  of  his  sinful- 
ness, and  supplications  for  mercy  in  the  name  of 
Jesus,  but  with  a  full  confidence  in  the  willingness  of 
God  to  receive  him,  and  a  desire  to  depart."  But 
he  was  chiefly  led,  "to  think  of  the  many  poor  souls 
in  the  ship,  and  to  pray  that  they  might  have  a 
longer  time. for  repentance,  and  that  the  terrors  of 
that  night  might  be  of  lasting  benefit."  In  the 
morning  when  the  vessel  was  going  under  bare  poles, 
the  sea  covered  with  so  thick  a  mist  from  the  spray 
and  rain,  that  nothing  could  be  seen  but  the  tops  of 
the  nearest  waves,  which  seemed  to  be  runninoj  ove?^ 


132  MEMOIR     OF 

the  windward  side  of  the  ship,  he  seized  the  oppor- 
tunity of  pointing  out  the  way  of  salvation  to  one  of 
the  passengers,  who  appeared  much  terrified;  and 
most  willingly,  had  circumstances  permitted,  would 
he  have  preached  to  the  whole  ship's  company, 
warning  them  to  "flee  from  the  wrath  to  come,  and 
to  lay  hold  on  eternal  life."  The  Sunday  following, 
he  read  the  thanksgiving  prayer  after  a  storm. 

Mr.  Martyn's  voyage  before  this  alarming  tem- 
pest, had  been  far  from  expeditious.  Seven  weari- 
some weeks  had  he  passed,  without  having  proceed- 
ed farther  than  the  latitude  of  the  Lizard.  The 
wind  now  began  to  carry  him  forward,  and  about 
the  end  of  the  month  of  September,  he  reached 
Madeira. 

His  Journal  during  the  interval  between  the  sub- 
siding of  the  storm  and  his  arrival  at  Porto  Santo, 
contains  these  admirable  reflections.  Sept.  9. — 
"My  chief  concern  was,  that  this  season  of  peace 
might  be  improved:  Avhen  the  Lord  gave  David 
rest  from  all  his  enemies  round  about,  then  he  be- 
gan to  think  of  building  a  temple  to  the  Lord. 
Passed  the  evening,  many  sweet  hours,  in  reading. — 
Found  a  rich  feast  in  readinof  Hooker's  Sermons: 
the  doctrines  of  grace  are  a  cordial  to  me.  We 
are  now  inlat.  46^.  long.  12^.  The  sea  which  I  am 
looking  on  from  the  port-hole  is  comparatively 
smooth,  yet  it  exhibits  the  moonbeams  only  in 
broken  reflections.  It  is  thus  an  emblem  of  my 
heart — no  longer  tossed  with  tempestuous  passions. 


REV,    HENRY    MARTYX.  133 

it  has  subsided  a  little;  but  still  the  mild  beams  of 
the  Spirit  fall  on  an  undulating  surface:  but  the 
time  of  perfect  rest  approaches." 

Sept.  10.— "Endeavored  to  consider  what  should 
be  mj  study  and  preparation  for  the  mission;  but 
could  devise  no  particular  plan,  but  to  search  from 
the  Scriptures  what  are  God's  promises  respecting 
the  spread  of  the  Gospel,  and  of  the  means  by 
which  it  shall  be  accomphshed.  Long  seasons  o£ 
prayer  in  behalf  of  the  Heathen,  I  am  sure  are 
necessary;— Isa.  Ixii.  I  began  Isaiah,  and  learnt  by 
heart  the  promises  scattered  through  the  twelve 
first  chapters,  hoping  it  may  prove  profitable  matter 
for  meditation  as  well  as  prayer.  Read  Pilgrim's 
Progress  below,  amidst  the  greatest  noise  and  inter- 
ruption. Notwithstanding  the  clamor,  I  felt  as  if  I 
could  preach  to  a  million  of  noisy  persons  with  un- 
conquerable boldness— We  have  been  becalmed 
the  whole  day.  I  fear  my  soul  has  been  much  in 
the  same  state;  but  I  would  not  that  it  should  be  so 
any  longer.'' 

Sept.  13.— "In  my  walk,  my  attention  was  engag- 
ed by  the  appearance  of  mutiny  amongst  the  men. 
Last  night  the  ship's  crew  and  the  soldiers  refused 
their  allowance,  and  this  morning,  when  they  piped 
to  dinner,  they  gave  three  cheeis.  After  some 
time,  a  seaman  was  fixed  on  as  the  ringleader;  and 
from  his  behavior,  I  w^is  not  sorry  to  hear  the  Cap- 
tain order  him  to  be  put  into  irons.  As  it  was  a 
sorrowful  and  humiliating  thing  to  me,  I  retired  to 
18 


134  MEMOIR    OF 

praj  for  them  and  mjself.  In  the  afternoon  I  read 
as  usual,  and  found  two  occasions  of  speaking  in  ref- 
erence to  their  mutinous  murmurs." 

Sept.  14. — "Found  great  pleasure  and  profit  in 
Milners  Church  History.  I  love  to  converse  as  it 
were  with  those  holy  Bishops  and  Martyrs,  with 
whom  I  hope,  through  grace,  to  spend  a  happy 
eternity." 

Sept.  1.5. — Sunday.  "He  that  testifieth  these 
things  saith,  behold — I  come  quickly — Amen — even 
so — come  quickly,  Lord  Jesus!"  Happy  John! 
though  shut  out  from  society  and  the  ordinances  of 
grace:  happy  wast  thou  in  thy  solitude,  when  by  it 
thou  wast  induced  thus  gladly  to  welcome  the 
Lord's  words,  and  repeat  them  with  a  prayer. 
Read  and  preached  on  Acts  xiii,  38,  39.  In  the 
latter  part,  w^here  I  w  as  led  to  speak,  without  prep- 
aration, on  the  all-sufficiency  of  Christ  to  save  sin- 
ners, who  came  to  him  with  all  their  sins  without 
delay,  I  was  carried  away  with  a  divine  aid  to  speak 
Avith  freedom  and  energy:  my  soul  was  refreshed, 
and  I  retired,  seeing  reason  to  be  thankful. — The 
weather  was  fair  and  calm,  inviting  the  mind  to 
tranquillity  and  praise:  the  ship  just  moved  upon 
the  face  of  the  untroubled  ocean.  I  went  below  in 
hopes  of  reading  Baxter's  Call  to  the  Unconverted: 
but  there  was  no  getting  down,  as  they  were  taking 
out  water:  so  I  sat  with  the  seamen  on  the  gun 
deck. — As  I  walked  in  the  evening  at  sun-set,  I 
thought  with  pleasure,  but  a  few  more  suns,  and  ! 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  130 

shall  be  where  my  sun  shall  no  more  go  down. 
Read  Isaiah  the  rest  of  the  evening,  sometimes 
happj,  but  at  other  times  tired,  and  desiring  to  take 
up  some  other  religious  book — but  I  saiv  it  an  im- 
portant duty  to  check  this  slighting  of  the  word  of 

God:' 

Sept.  16. — "Two  things  were  much  in  my  mind 
this  morning  in  prayer,  the  necessity  of  entering 
more  deeply  into  my  heart,  and  laboring  after  hu- 
miliation, and,  for  that  reason,  setting  apart  times 
for  fasting;  as  also  to  devote  times  for  solemn 
prayer  for  fitness  in  the  ministry;  especially  love  for 
souls,  and  for  the  effusion  of  the  Spirit  on  the  Heath- 
en lands,  according  to  God's  command.  *  *  *  coming 
in,  said  many  had  become  more  hostile  than  ever; 
they  should  come  up  to  prayers,  because  they  be- 
lieved I  was  sincere;  but  not  to  the  Sermon,  as  I 
did  nothing  but  preach  about  hell:  I  hope  this  por- 
tends good.  Prevented  reading  below  from  the 
same  cause  as  on  Saturday." 

Sept.  17. — '^It  began  to  blow  hard  again.  ...the 
calmness  and  pleasure  with  which  I  contemplate 
death,  rather  made  me  fear  I  did  not  fear  it  enough. 
Read  below  with  the  soldiers." 

Sept.  18. — "Rose  ill,  and  continued  so  all  the  day. 
Tried  to  encourage  myself  in  the  Lord.  Looking 
at  the  sea,  my  soul  was  enabled  to  rejoice  in  the 
great  Maker  of  it  as  my  God." 

Sept.  19. — "Was  assisted  this  morning  to  pray 
for  two  hours,  principally  in  regard  to  God's  prom- 


136  Memoir  of 

ises  respecting  the  spread  of  the  Gospel.  Read 
Hlndoostanee  and  Mihier — found  the  men  forbidden 
to  go  below,  so  I  kiioAV  not  how  they  are  to  be  in- 
structed; may  the  Lord  open  a  way. — The  weather 
IS  calm  and  sultry — my  frame  relaxed  to  a  painful 
degree — 1  am  led  to  seek  a  quiet  meek  submission 
to  every  thing  that  shall  befal  me.  O,  this  right 
blessed  frame,  would  that  it  may  continue!  I  feel  it 
to  be  the  disposition  of  a  creature  approving  of  every 
thing,  because  it  is  God's  doing. 

Sept.  20. — "My  soul  was  blessed  with  a  sacred 
and  holy  reverence  in  the  work  of  God  this  morning: 
it  was  the  sentiment  of  serious  love,  such  as  I  should 
wish  always  to  maintain.  To  behold  God  in  his 
glory,  and  worship  him  for  what  he  is  in  himself, 
I  should  believe,  is  the  bliss  of  heaven.  Exercised 
myself  in  Hlndoostanee — read  Pilgrim's  Progress 
to  a  few  below  deck — continued  to  delight  in  the 
prospect  of  preaching  in  India.  The  example  of 
the  Christian  Saints,  in  the  early  ages,  has  been  a 
source  of  sweet  reflection  to  me  frequently  to-day; 
the  holy  love  and  devout  meditations  ci  x^ugustine 
and  Ambrose   I   delight  to  think  of." 

Sept.  21. — "/  seemed  uneasy  at  the  tho7fghts  of 
calling  forth  the  hatred  of  people  to-morrow^  by 
preaching    to  them  unpleasant    truths^ 

Sept.  22. — Sunday.  "Was  more  tried  by  the 
fear  of  man,  than  I  ever  have  been  since  God  has 
called  me  to  the  ministry.  The  threats  and  oppo- 
sition of  these  men  made  me  unwilling  to  set  before 


REV.  henrt  martyn.  137 

them  the  truths  which  they  hated:  yet  1  had  no 
species  of  hesitation  about  doing  it.  They  had  let 
me  know  that  if  I  would  preach  a  sermon  like  one 
of. Blair's  they  should  be  glad  to  liear  it,  but  they 
would  not  attend  if  so  much  of  hell  was  preached. 
This  morning  again  Captain  "^"^^  said,  'Mr.  Martyn 
must  not  damn  us  to-day,  or  none  will  come  again.' 
I  was  a  little  disturbed;  but  Luke  x,  and,  above 
all,  our  Lord's  last  address  to  his  disciples,  (John 
xiv,  16,)  strengthened  me.  I  took  for  my  text  Psal. 
ix,  17.  'The  wicked  shall  be  turned  into  hell,  and 
all  the  nations  that  forget  God.'  The  officers  were 
all  behind  my  back,  in  order  to  have  an  opportunity 
of  retiring  in  case  of  dislike,  g  =i^  *  *  attended  the 
whole  time.  H  *  "*  %  as  soon  as  he  heard  the  text, 
went  back,  and  said  he  would  hear  no  more  about 
hell;  so  he  employed  himself  in  feeding  the  geese. 
^  ^  ^  said  I  had  shut  him  up  in  hell,  and  the  univer- 
sal cry  w^as  'we  are  all  to  be  damned.'  However, 
God^  I  trusty  blessed  the  sermon  to  the  good  of  many. 
Some  of  the  cadets,  and  many  of  the  soldiers  were 
in  tears.  I  felt  an  ardor  and  vehemence  in  some 
parts  which  are  unusual  with  me.  After  service, 
walked  the  deck  with  Mrs.  *  *  ^:  she  spoke  with 
so  much  simplicity  and  amiable  humility,  that  I  was 
full  of  joy  and  adoration  to  God  for  a  sheep  brought 
home  to  his  fold.  In  the  afternoon  went  below,  in- 
tending to  read  to  them  at  the  hatchway,  but  there 
was  not  one  of  them;  so  I  could  get  nothing  to  do 
among  the  poor  soldiers." 


138  MEMOIR  or 

Sept.  23.— <'We  are  just  to  the  south  of  all  Eu- 
rope, and  I  bid  adieu  to  it  forever,  without  a  wish  of 
ever  revisiting  it,  and  still  less  with  any  desire  of 
taking  up  my  rest  in  the  strange  land  to  which  I  am 
going.  Ah!  no, — farewell  perishing  world!  'To  me 
to  live'  shall  be  'Christ.'  I  have  nothing  to  do  here, 
but  to  labor  as  a  stranger,  and  by  secret  prayer  and 
outward  exertion,  do  as  much  as  possible  for  the 
church  of  Christ  and  my  own  soul,  till  my  eyes  close 
in  death,  and  my  soul  Avings  its  way  to  a  brighter 
world.  Strengthen  me,  O  God  my  Savior;  that, 
whether  living  or  dying,  I  may  be  thine." 

Sept.  24. — "The  determination  with  which  I 
went  to  bed  last  night  of  devoting  this  day  to  prayer 
and  fasting,  I  was  enabled  to  put  in  execution." 

Sept.  25. — *'Most  of  the  morning  employed  in 
Hindoostanee — read  Pilgrim's  Progress  and  Baxter 
below.  Had  a  long  conversation  with  one  of  the 
Lascars." 

Sept.  27. — "The  oaths  I  heard  on  deck  moved 
my  indignation;  but  I  recollected  the  words  of  the 
Macedonian  in  the  dream,  'come  over,  and  help  us.' 
Probably  there  was  no  one  that  felt  his  need  of 
help,  but  the  holy  Spirit  put  it  in  this  engaging  way, 
because  they  did  request  as  much  by  their  silent 
misery.  So  I  thought  that  every  oath  they  swore, 
was  a  call  on  me  to  help  them.  In  the  afternoon,  I 
was  told  I  could  not  go  below,  as  there  had  been 
fires  lighted  to  air  the  deck.  Went,  by  way  of 
changing  the  scene,  in  a  boat  to  the  Sarah  Ciiris- 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  139 

tiana,  about  three  miles  off.  It  was  a  novel'^hing 
to  be  in  a  little  boat  in  the  midst  of  a  great  ocean. 
The  nearest  main  land,  Africa,  was  three  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  distant.  I  reflected  without  pain  that 
England  was  eleven  hundred  miles  off." 

Sept.  28. — "My  thoughts  were  much  engaged,  as 
well  as  those  about  me,  with  the  prospect  of  going 
on  shore.  They  were  doing  nothing  else  for  hours 
but  looking  out  with  their  glasses  for  land.  After 
dinner,  on  coming  out,  I  saw  the  majestic  heights 
of  Porto  Santo,  distant  about  five  or  six  leagues. 
Again  I  was  disappointed  in  going  below  from  the 
same  cause.  Was  diverted  from  my  proper  v/ork  by 
looking  at  a  Portuguese  grammar.  So  astonishing 
is  the  weakness  of  my  heart,  every  trifle  has  power 
to  draw  me  from  that  communion  with  God  which 
my  better  will  chooses,  as  ray  best  and  beloved  por- 
tion. O  for  the  steady  abiding  under  the  shadow 
of  the  Almighty;  and  as  the  days  pass  on,  and  bring 
me  nearer  to  the  end  of  the  things  which  are  seen, 
so  let  me  be  more  and  more  quickened,  to  be  ready 
for  the  unseen  Avorld." 

"By  faith,  I  see  the  land 
With  peace  and  plenty  blest; 
A  land  of  sacred  liberty 
And  endless  rest." 

Mr.  Martyn's  diligence  in  his  humble  and  despis- 
ed ministrations  amongst  the  soldiers  in  the  ship 
with  him,  will  not  have  escaped  the  attention  of 
those  who  have  read  the  above  extracts.     It  will 


i40  MEMOIR    OF 

have  been  remarked,  that  there  were  not  many 
days  in  which  he  remitted  this  work.  Nor  was  his 
labor  confined  to  the  soldiers:  their  officers  were 
addressed  by  him  with  equal  earnestness,  on  every 
fair  and  favorable  opportunity.  With  some  he  had 
fiequent  religious  conversations.  The  cadets,  also, 
he  endeavored  to  "allure  to  brighter  worlds;"  and 
to  shew  that  he  had  also  their  welfare  in  this  world 
at  heart,  he  offered  gratuitously  to  instruct  in  mathe- 
matics as  many  as  chose  to  come  to  him;  an  offer 
which  several  accepted:  and,  as  if  this  were  not 
enough  to  occupy  his  time,  he  undertook  also  to  read 
French  with  another  passenger,  who  was  desirous 
of  improvement  in  that  language.  He  was  willing 
to  become  all  things  to  all  men,  that  he  might  win 
some.  How  far  it  were  wise  in  him  to  preach  im- 
mediately  upon  the  awful  subject  of  eternal  misery, 
after  an  injunction  to  abstain  from  such  a  topic,  is  a 
question  Avhich  may  admit  of  a  diversity  of  senti- 
ment. Certain,  however,  it  is,  that  men  may  be 
told  "even  weeping,  that  their  end  is  destruction," 
and  the  temper  by  which  Mr.  Martyn  was  invaria- 
bly characterized,  leaves  no  room  to  doubt,  but  that 
his  conduct  in  this  instance  was  influenced  by  an  im- 
perious sense  of  duty,  and  by  the  tender  overflow- 
ings of  love. 

The  sight  of  a  foreign  land,  where  superstition 
held  her  dark  and  undisputed  sway,  naturally  ex- 
cited a  new  train  of  sensations  in  Mr.  Martyn's  mind, 
which  he  thus  communicated  from  Funchal  to  9. 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  14"^ 

near  relation  at  Falmouth.  "Yesterday  morning 
we  came  to  an  anchor  at  this  place.  The  craggy 
mountains,  at  the  foot  of  which  Funchal  is  situate, 
make  a  most  grand  and  picturesque  appearance. 
On  entering  the  town,  1  was  struck  with  the  con- 
viction of  being  in  a  foreign  country.  Every  thing 
was  different, — the  houses,  even  the  poorest,  all 
regular  and  stately — every  where  groves  of  orange 
and  lemon  trees — the  countenances,  and  dress,  and 
manners  of  the  people  different  to  those  I  had  been 
used  to — black-skirted  Catholic  priests,  and  nun- 
like women,  with  beads  and  a  crucifix,  passing  in  all 
directions.  How  would  St.  Paul  have  sighed  in 
passing  through  this  town,  wholly  given  up  to  idola- 
try. I  went  to  the  great  church,  where  they  were 
performing  high  mass,  and  was  perfectly  dazzled 
with  the  golden  splendor  of  the  place.  But  all  the 
external  aids  of  devotion  lost  their  usual  effect  upon 
me,  while  I  contemplated  the  endless  multitude  of 
mountebank  tricks  the  priests  were  exhibiting.  Is 
it  possible,  thought  I,  this  should  be  a  Christian 
Church!  There  was  no  appearance  of  attention, 
except  in  one  poor  African  woman,  who  was  cross- 
ing herself  repeatedly,  with  the  utmost  expression 
of  contrition  in  her  countenance.  Perhaps,  said  I 
to  her,  in  my  mind,  we  shall  meet  in  heaven." 

After  remaining  four  days  at  Funchal,  the  fleet 
put  to  sea,  information  having  been  previously  im- 
parted to  the  army,  that  their  object  was  the  cap- 
ture of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  that  accordingly 
19 


M2  BJEMOIR    OF 

they  might,  ere  long,  expect  to   meet    an   enemj 
on  the  field  of  battle. 

Intelligence  of  this  nature  served  to  quicken  that 
activity  and  zeal,  which  in  Mr.  Martyn  had  not 
hitherto  been  either  sluggish  or  supine.  He  was, 
therefore  perpetually  visiting,  or  attempting  to  visit, 
that  part  of  his  flock  which  was  so  soon  to  be  ex- 
posed to  the  perils  of  warfare.  "I  entreated  them 
even  with  tears,"  said  he,  "out  of  fervent  love  for 
their  souls,  and  I  could  have  poured  away  my  life 
to  have  persuaded  them,  to  return  to  God." — By  a 
sentence  in  Milner's  Church  History,  'Ho  believe, 
to  suffer,  and  to  love,  was  the  primitive  taste,"  he 
states  that  his  mind,  at  this  time,  was  very  deeply 
impressed;  observing,  that  "no  uninspired  sentence 
ever  affected  him  so  much."  It  was,  in  fact,  an 
epitome  of  his  own  life,  conversation,  and  spirit:  a 
lively  exemplification  of  which  is  to  be  found  in  the 
manner  in  which,  during  this  part  of  the  voyage,  he 
strove  against  an  extreme  and  oppressive  languor  of 
body,  which  tended  to  impede  his  present  labors,, 
and  threatened  to  impair  his  future  efficiency. — ■ 
"The  extreme  weakness  and  languor  of  my  body 
made  me  fear  1  should  never  be  used  as  a  preacher 
in  India:  But  w  hat,"  said  he,  "means  this  anxiety? 
Is  it  not  of  God  that  I  am  led  into  outward  difficul- 
ties, that  my  faith  may  be  tried?  Suppose  you  are 
obliged  to  return,  or  that  you  never  see  India,  but 
wither  and  die  here,  what  is  that  to  you?  Do  the 
will  of  God  where  you  are,  and  leave  the  rest  to 


REV.     HENRY    MARTYN.  14!3 

liim." — "I  found  great  satisfaction  in  reflecting,  that 
my  hourly  wisdom  was  not  to  repine,  and  to  look  for 
a  change,  but  to  consider  what  is  my  duty  in  ex- 
isting circumstances,  and  then  to  do  it,  in  de pen- 
dance  upon  grace."  So  deeply  was  his  soul  imbued 
with  the  "primitive  taste,"  and  so  entirely  did  it  ac- 
cord with  that  wise  maxim,  of  such  universal  but 
difficult  application — - 

**Tu  tua  fac  cures — catera  mitte  Deo."* 

From  Porto  Santo  to  St.  Salvador,  the  voyage 
was  accomplished  in  little  more  than  five  weeks, 
during  which  the  special  Providence  of  God  mani- 
festly watched  over  Mr.  Martyn.  Soon  after  cross- 
ing the  line,  on  the  30th  of  October,  the  Union,  in 
^vhich  he  sailed,  passed  in  the  night  within  a  very 
short  distance  of  a  dangerous  reef  of  rocks,  which 
proved  destructive  to  two  other  vessels.  The  reef 
lay  exactly  across  the  track  of  the  Union,  and  had 
not  the  second  mate,  who  was  on  watch,  called  up 
the  captain  and  the  first  mate  as  soon  as  danger 
was  discovered,  they  would  inevitably  have  been 
wrecked:  their  escape  was  considered  as  almost 
miraculous.  Pieces  of  the  ships  that  were  dashed 
against  the  breakers  floated  by  them,  and  many  of 
those  who  had  been  cast  on  the  rocks  were  seen 
making  signals  for  assistance.  Anxiety  on  board 
the  Union  respecting  these  unhappy  persons  waf? 

*  Take  care  that  you  do  your  duty —leave  the  rest  to  God. 


144  MEMOIR    OF 

intense:  happilj,  however,  they  were  all  saved, 
with  the  exception  of  three  officers,  one  of  whom 
lost  his  life  by  endeavoring  to  secure  a  large  sum  of 
money:  leaving  the  vessel  too  soon,  he  sunk  to  rise 
no  more;  and,  as  it  was  supposed,  was  devoured  by 
the  sharks  which  surrounded  the  ships  in  great 
numbers.  Nor  was  this  the  only  peril  which  the 
Union  escaped:  on  the  coast  of  South  America,  she 
incurred  a  similar  risk: — "O  how  sweet,"  remarked 
Mr.  Martyn,  "to  perceive  such  repeated  instances 
of  God's  guardian  care!" — During  this  part  of  the 
voyage,  the  novel  sight  of  the  flying-fish  beginning  to 
attract  attention,  Mr.  Martyn's  mind,  ever  fertile  in 
topics  of  humiliation,  could  discover  a  "resemblance 
to  his  own  soul  in  those  poor  little  creatures,  which 
rose  to  a  little  height,  and  then  in  a  minute  or  two, 
when  their  fins  were  dry,  dropped  into  the  waves." 
Others,  doubtless,  would  have  chosen  for  him  a  far 
different  similitude,  and  would  have  sought  it  rather 
in  the  eagle  soaring  into  the  fields  of  light,  or  in  the 
dove  of  the  poet, 

**When  at  length  she  springs 
To  S!0o6ther  flight,  and  shoots  upon  lier  wiqgs." — Drydeit, 

"I  find,  (Mr.  Martyn  wrote  on  his  arrival  at  St.  Sal- 
vador to  two  of  his  friends  in  England,)  that  neither 
distance  nor  time  can  separate  the  hearts  which  are 
united  in  the  fellowship  of  the  Gospel,  as  well  as  by 
mutual  esteem.  Mere  earthly  affections  are  weak- 
ened by  time  and  absence;  but  Christian  love  grows 


REV.  HENRY  MARTYN.  145 

stronger,  as  the  day  of  salvation  approaches.  Al- 
ready, a  vratery  waste  of  four  thousand  miles  lies 
between  me  and  England:  but  because  I  have  you 
in  my  heart,  and  make  mention  of  you  without 
ceasing  in  my  prayers,  you  seem  scarcely  yet  out  of 
sight." 

"Though  a  long  sea  is  rolling  already  betwixt  us, 
yet  I  scarcely  seem  to  have  lost  sight  of  you,  or  of 
my  dear  friends  at  Cambridge.  The  hymns  we  sing, 
being  chiefly  taken  from  your  collection,  daily  bring 
to  my  remembrance  the  happy  days  when  I  went 
with  the  multitude  to  the  house  of  God,  with  the 
voice  of  joy  and  praise.  Those  seasons  are  gone 
by:  but  I  comfort  myself  with  thinking,  they  will 
quickly  be  renewed  in  a  better  country,  when  we 
come  to  dwell  together  in  the  mansions  of  our 
father's  house." 

The  description  of  St.  Salvador,  and  the  events 
connected  with  Mr.  Martyn's  stay  there,  we  have 
thus  recorded  by  him  at  some  length. 

Nov.  12. — "The  coast  was  beautiful,  with  much 
romantic  scenery.  The  town  exactly  resembled 
Funchal,  but  was  rather  more  cheerful.  The  ob- 
jects in  the  streets  were  strong  negro-men  slaves, 
carrying  very  heavy  casks  on  a  pole,  with  a  sort  of 
unpleasant  note — negro-women,  carrying  fish,  fruit, 
&:c. — a  few  palanquins,  which  are  drawn  by  two 
mules.  The  things  exposed  to  sale  were  turtles, 
bananas,  oranges,  limes,  papaws,  watermelons,  tama- 
rinds, fustlch  wood.     I  walked  up  the  hill,  in  order 


146  MEMOIR    OF 

to  get  into  the  country,  and  observed  a  man  standing 
by  the  way  side,  holding  out  for  the  people's  saluta- 
tion a  silver  embossed  piece  of  plate  of  a  small  oval 
size,  and  repeating  some  words  about  St.  Antonio. 
Some  kissed  it;  others  took  off  their  hats;  but  the 
man  himself  seemed  to  ridicule  their  folly.  They 
w^ere  performing  mass  in  one  church:  it  was  not  so 
splendid  as  that  of  Madeira:  many  of  the  priests 
were  negroes.  I  soon  reached  the  suburbs,  on  the 
outside  of  which  was  a  battery,  which  commanded 
a  view  of  the  whole  bay,  and  repeated  the  hymn. 
*0'er  the  gloomy  hills  of  darkness.'  What  happy 
Missionary  shall  be  sent  to  bear  the  name  of  Christ 
to  these  Western  regions!  When  shall  this  beautiful 
country  be  delivered  from  idolatry  and  spurious 
Christianity!  Crosses  there  are  in  abundance;  but 
when  shall  the  doctrine  of  the  cross  be  held  up!  I 
continued  my  walk  in  quest  of  a  wood,  or  some 
trees,  where  I  might  sit  down;  but  all  was  appro- 
priated: no  tree  was  to  be  approached,  except 
through  an  enclosure.  At  last  I  came  to  a  magnifi^ 
cent  porch,  before  a  garden  gate,  which  was  open. 
I  walked  in,  but  finding  the  vista  led  straight  to  the 
house,  I  turned  to  the  right,  and  found  myself  in  a 
grove  of  cocoa-nut  trees,  orange  trees,  and  several 
strange  fruit  trees:  under  them  was  nothing  but  rose 
trees;  but  no  verdure  on  the  ground:  oranges  were 
strewed  as  apples  in  an  orchard.  Perceiving  that 
I  was  observed  by  the  slaves,  I  came  up  to  the 
house,  and  was  directed  by  them  to  an  old  man  sit- 


REV*    HENRY    MARTYN.  147 

iing  under  a  tree,  apparently  insensible  from  illness, 
I  spoke  to  him  in  French,  and  in  English;  but  he 
took  no  notice.  Presently  a  young  man  and  a  young 
lady  appeared,  to  whom  I  spoke  in  French,  and 
Was  very  politely  desired  to  sit  down  at  a  little 
table,  which  was  standing  under  a  large  space 
before  the  house,  like  a  verandah.  They  then 
brought  me  oranges,  and  a  small  red  acid  fruit,  the 
name  of  which  I  asked,  but  cannot  recollect.  The 
young  man  sat  opposite,  conversing  about  Cambridge: 
He  had  been  educated  in  a  Portuguese  University. 
Almost  immediately,  on  finding  I  was  of  Cambridge, 
he  invited  me  to  come,  when  I  liked,  to  his  house* 
A  slave,  after  bringing  the  fruit,  was  sent  to  gather 
three  roses  for  me:  the  master  then  walked  with 
me  round  the  garden,  and  shewed  me  among  the 
rest,  the  coifee  plant:  when  I  left  him  he  repeated 
his  invitation.  Thus  did  the  Lord  give  his  servant 
favor  in  the  eyes  of  Antonio  Joseph  Corre." 

Nov.  J  3. — "This  morning  there  was  a  great 
storm  of  thunder,  lightning,  and  rain,  which  awoke 
me. — I  got  up,  and  prayed. — O  when  the  last  great 
thunder  echoes  from  pole  to  pole,  I  shall  be  in  earn- 
est, if  not  before." 

Nov.  14.- — "Sennor  Antonio  received  me  with  the 
same  cordiality:  he  begged  me  to  dine  with  him, 
I  was  curious  and  attentive  to  observe  the  difference 
between  the  Portuguese  manners  and  ours:  there 
were  but  two  plates  laid  on  the  table,  and  the  dinner 
<?fmsipted  of  a  great  number  of  small  mixed  dishes^^ 


148  MEMOIR    Oi*^ 

following  one  another  in  quick  succession;  but  none 
of  them  very  palatable.  In  the  cool  of  the  even- 
ing, we  walked  out  to  see  his  plantation:  here  every 
thing  possessed  the  charm  of  novelty.  The  grounds 
included  two  hills,  and  a  valley  between  them. — 
The  hills  were  covered  with  cocoa-nut  trees,bananas, 
mangos,  orange  and  lemon  trees,  olives,  coffee,  choc- 
olate, and  cotton  plants,  &:c.  In  the  valley  was  a 
large  plantation  of  a  shrub  or  tree,  bearing  a  cluster 
of  small  berries,  which  he  desired  me  to  taste.  I 
did,  and  found  it  was  pepper.  It  had  lately  been 
introduced  from  Batavia,  and  answered  very  well. 
It  grows  on  a  stem  about  the  thickness  of  a  finger,  to 
the  height  of  about  seven  feet,  and  is  supported  by 
a  stick,  which,  at  that  height,  has  another  across  it 
for  the  branches  to  spread  upon.  Slaves  were 
walking  upon  the  ground:  watering  the  trees,  and 
turning  up  the  ground;  the  soil  appeared  very  dry 
and  loose.  At  night,  returned  to  the  ship  in  a  coun- 
try boat,  which  are  canoes  made  of  a  tree  hollowed 
out,  and  fjaddled  by  three  men." 

Nov.  18, — "Went  ashore  at  six  o'clock,  and  found 
that  Sennor  Antonio  had  been  waiting  for  me  tw^o 
hours.  It  being  too  late  to  go  into  the  country,  I 
staid  at  his  house  till  dinner.  He  kept  me  too  much 
in  his  company,  but  I  found  intervals  for  retirement. 
In  a  cool  and  shady  part  of  the  garden,  near  some 
water,  I  sat  and  sang — 'O'er  the  gloomy  hills  oi* 
darkness.'  I  could  read  and  pray  aloud,  as  there 
was  no  fear  of  any  one  understanding  me.     In  thf. 


REV.    HEXRY     BIARTYN.  149 

afternoon,  we  went  in  a  palanquin  to  visit  his  father. 
Reading  the  eighty-fourth  Psalrn^  'O  how  amiable 
are  thy  tabernacles,'  this  morning  in  the  shade — the 
day  when  I  read  it  last  under  the  trees  with  *  *  ^, 
was  brought  forcibly  to  my  remembrance,  and  pro- 
duced some  defrree  of  melancholv.  Of  this  I  was 
thinking  all  the  way  I  was  carried*,  and  the  train  of 
reflections  into  which  I  was  led,  drew  off  my  atterv- 
tion  from  the  present  scene.  We  visited,  in  our 
way,  a  monastery  of  Carmelites:  in  the  church  be- 
longing to  it,  my  friend  Antonio  knelt  some  time, 
and  crossed  himself:  I  was  surprised,  but  said  noth- 
ing. At  his  father's  house,  I  was  described  to  them 
as  one  who  knew  every  things — Arabic,  Persian, 
Greek,  &c.;  and  all  stared  at  me  as  if  I  had  dropped 
from  the  skies.  The  father,  Sennor  Dominigo, 
spoke  a  little  Latin.  A  priest  came  in,  and  as  it 
was  the  first  time  I  was  in  company  with  one,  I 
spoke  to  him  in  Latin,  but  he  blushed,  and  said  that 
he  did  not  speak  it.  I  was  very  sorry  I  had  unde- 
signedly put  him  to  pain.  Had  a  great  deal  of  con- 
versation with  Antonio  afterwards  on  England,  and 
on  religion.  He  had  formed  such  an  idea  of  Eng- 
land, that  he  had  resolved  to  send  his  son  to  be  ed- 
ucated there. — A  slave  in  my  bed-room  washed  my 
feet.  I  was  struck  Avith  the  de^-ree  of  abasement 
expressed  in  the  act,  and  as  he  held  the  foot  in  the 
towel,  with  his  head  bowed  down  towards  it,  I  re- 
membered the  condescension  of  the  blessed  Lord. 
May  I  have  grace  to  follow  such  humility!" 
20 


IbO  rtlEMCHR     OF 

Nov.  19. — '-Early  after  breakfast  went  in  a 
palanquin  to  Sennor  Dominigo's;  and  from  thence, 
with  him,  two  or  three  miles  into  the  country. 
At  intervals,  I  got  out  and  walked.  I  was  grati- 
fied with  the  sight  of  what  I  wanted  to  see; 
namely,  some  parts  of  the  country  in  its  original 
state,  covered  with  wood:  it  was  hilly  but  not 
mountainous.  The  luxuriance  was  so  rank,  that 
the  whole  space,  even  to  the  tops  of  the  trees,  was 
filled  with  long  stringy  shrubs  and  weeds,  so  as  to 
make  them  impervious,  and  opaque.  The  road 
was  made  by  cutting  away  the  earth  on  the  side 
of  the  hill,  so  that  there  were  woods  above  and 
below  us.  The  object  of  our  walk  was  to  see  a 
pepper  plantation  made  in  a  valley  on  a  perfect 
level.  The  symmetry  of  the  trees  was  what 
charmed  my  Portuguese  friends:  but  to  me,  who 
was  seeking  the  wild  features  of  America,  it  was 
just  what  I  did  not  want. — The  person  who  shewed 
us  the  grounds,  was  one  that  had  been  a  major  in 
the  Portuguese  army,  and  had  retired  on  a  pension. 
The  border  consisted  of  pine  apples,  planted  be- 
tween each  tree:  the  interior  was  set  with  lemon 
trees,  here  and  there,  between  the. pepper  plants. 
We  were  shewn  the  root  of  the  mandioc,  called  by 
us  tapioca:  it  was  like  a  large  horse-radish:  the 
mill  for  grinding  was  extremely  simple:  a  hori- 
zontal wheel,  turned  by  horses,  put  in  motion  a 
vertical  one;  on  the  circumference  of  which  was  a 
thin  brazen  plate,  furnished  on   the  inside  like  a 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  151 

nutmeg  grater:  a  slave  held  the  root  to  the  wheel, 
which  grated  it  awaj,  and  threw  it  in  the  form  of  a 
moist  paste  into  a  receptacle  beloAv:  it  is  then 
dried  in  pans,  and  used  as  a  farina  with  meat.  At 
Sennor  Antonio's,  a  plate  of  tapioca  was  attached 
to  each  of  our  plates.  Some  of  the  pepper  was 
nearly  ripe,  and  of  a  reddish  appearance:  when 
gathered,  which  it  is  in  April,  it  is  dried  in  the  sun. 
In  our  way  to  the  old  major's  house,  we  came  to  a 
small  church,  on  an  eminence,  on  a  plot  of  ground 
surrounded  by  a  wall,  which  was  for  the  purpose  of 
burying  the  dead  from  a  neighboring  hospital,  erect- 
ed for  those  afflicted  with  a  cutaneous  disorder 
called  the  morphee.  What  this  is  I  could  not  learn, 
as  I  saw  none  of  the  patients.  The  major  had  apart- 
ments at  the  hospital,  of  which  he  was  inspector. 
In  the  church,  all  three  knelt  and  crossed  them- 
selves as  usual.  I  said  nothing;  but,  upon  this,  a 
conversation  began  among  them,  chiefly  from  Sennor 
Antonio's  mentioning  to  them  my  objections.  The 
major  spoke  with  a  vehemence  which  would  have 
become  a  better  cause:  Antonio  acted  as  interpre- 
ter. By  constant  appeal  to  the  Scripture  on  every 
subject,  I  gave  immediate  answers.  The  old  man 
concluded  the  conversation  by  saying,  he  was  sure  I 
read  the  Scriptures,  and  therefore  would  embrace 
me,  which  he  did  after  the  manner  of  the  country. 
Sennor  Antonio  told  me  plainly  at  last,  which  I  had 
long  been  expecting  to  hear,  that  the  prejudices  of 
education  were  strong,  and   operated  to  keep  his 


152  MEMOIR   OF 

father  bigotted;  but,  for  himself,  he  had  nothing  to 
do  with  saints  in  secret;  he  adored  God  alone.  I 
could  have  wished  more;  it  was  the  confession 
rather  of  a  liberal  than  a  religious  mind.  Soon  after 
there  was  a  procession  of  priests,  carrying  the  Sa- 
crament to  the  house  of  a  person  just  departing: 
they  both  knelt,  and  continued  till  they  past.  Sen- 
nor  Antonio  said,  that  he  ^conformed  to  the  custom 
of  tlie  country  in  trifles.'  I  thought  of  Naaman  and 
his  god  Rimmon.  I  did  not,  however,  think  it  right 
to  push  the  matter  too  suddenly;  but  told  him,  in 
general,  how  the  English  reformers  were  led  to 
prison  and  to  flames,  rather  than  conform;  and  that, 
if  I  was  born  a  Portuguese,  I  would  rather  be  im- 
prisoned and  burnt,  than  conform  to  idolatry.  At 
the  same  time  I  talked  to  him  of  the  doctrines  of 
the  *new  birth,'  &c.  but  he  did  not  seem  to  pay 
much  attention:  Sennor  Dominigo  asked  me  if  the 
soldiers  had  a  minister  to  attend  them  in  their 
dying  moments,  to  instruct  and  to  administer  conso- 
lation. For  the  first  time  I  felt  that  I  had  the  w^orst 
of  the  argument,  and  hardly  knew  what  to  say  to 
explain  such  neglect  among  the  Protestants.  He 
shrugged  up  his  shoulders  with  horror  at  such  a 
religion.  We  were  then  shewn  the  Hospital  erec- 
ted by  the  Prince  of  Portugal:  it  was  a  noble  build- 
ing, far  superior  to  that  at  Haslar.  In  the  garden,' 
each  person,  alternately,  gathered  a  sprig  or  fragrant 
leaf  for  me.  The  person  who  shewed  it  us  was  a 
Chevalier  of  some  order.     In  the   chapel,  Sennoi? 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYK;.  153 

Antonio  krelt;  but  always  looked  on  me  smiling, 
and  said,  "c'est  le  coutume  du  pays."*  I  left  him  in 
oi'der  to  go  on  board;  but,  finding  as  I  went  along, 
a  chapel  open,  I  went  in  to  see  the  pictures;  all  of 
which  contained,  as  a  prominent  figure,  a  friar  of 
some  order.  In  one,  some  people  in  flames  were 
laying  hold  of  the  twisted  rope  which  was  pendent 
from  his  waist:  how  apt  the  image,  if  Jesus  Christ 
were  in  the  room  of  the  friar!  At  this  time  a  friar, 
dressed  identically  as  the  one  in  the  picture,  moved 
slowly  along:  f  foUow^ed  him  through  the  cloister, 
and  addressed  him  in  Latin.  He  was  a  little  sur- 
prised; but  replied.  He  told  me  that  the  chapel 
belonged  to  a  monastery  of  Franciscan  friars.  In  a 
cloister  which  led  round  the  second  floor  of  the 
building,  he  stopped;  and  by  this  time  we  were  able 
to  understand  each  other  exceedingly  well.  I  then 
asked  him  to  prove  from  Scripture,  the  doctrine  of 
purgatory,  of  image  worship,  the  supremacy  of 
the  Pope,  and  transubstantiation.  His  arguments 
were  exceedingly  weak,  and  the  Lord  furnished 
me  with  an  answer  to  them  all.  During  our  con- 
versation, two  or  three  more  friars  assembled  round 
and  joined  in  the  dispute.  I  confuted  all  their  errors 
as  plainly  as  possible  from  the  word  of  God;  and 
they  had  nothing  to  reply,  but  did  not  seem  dis- 
concerted. A  whole  troop  of  them  passing  in 
procession  in  the  opposite  cloister  below,  beckoned 

*  It  is  the  custom  of  the  country. 


154  MEMOIR    OF 

to  them  to  retire;  which  they  did,  taking  ilie  along 
ivith  them  to  a  cell — two  before,  and  one  on  each 
side.  As  we  passed  along  the  passage,  one  asked 
me  whether  I  was  a  Christian.  When  we  had  all 
reached  the  cell,  and  sat  down,  I  asked  for  a  Bible, 
and  the  dispute  was  renewed.  I  found  that  they 
considered  their  errors  as  not  tenable  on  Scripture 
ground;  and  appealed  to  the  authority  of  the  church. 
I  told  them  this  church  Avas,  by  their  confession, 
acting  against  the  law  of  God;  and  was  therefore 
not  the  church  of  God:  besides,  I  referred  them  to 
the  last  words  in  the  Revelations.  They  seemed 
most  surprised  at  my  knowledge  of  Scripture. 
When  they  Were  silent,  and  had  nothing  to  say,  I 
was  afraid  the  business  would  end  here  without 
good;  and  so  I  said — you  who  profess  to  teach  the 
way  of  truth,  how  can  you  dare,  before  God,  to  let 
them  go  on  in  idolatrous  practices,  which  you 
know  to  be  contrary  to  the  word  of  God?  They 
looked  very  grave.  The  one  who  spoke  French, 
and  also  the  best  Latin,  grew  very  angry  during 
their  dispute;  and  talked  of  the  *Scripturarum  inter- 
pretes — pii  sapientissimique  viri  Augustinus,  Bernar- 
dus,  &c.;  but,  said  I,  Hhey  were  not  inspired.'  Yes, 
he  said.  But  here  he  was  corrected  by  the  rest. 
As  this  man  seemed  in  earnest,  (the  rest  .were  some- 
times grave,  and  sometimes  laughing,)  I  asked  him 
why  he   had  assumed  the  cowl  of   the  friar — he 

•^  Inlerpieters  of  Scripture — the  pious  aad  leai'ned  AiigusUne,  Bernard,  &e. 


REV.    flENRY   lilARTYN^  155 

answered,  ''''*iit  me  abstraherem  a  vanitate  rerum 
mundanarum  et  meipsum  sanctum  faciam  ad  gloriam 
Dei."  He  spoke  with  great  impression  and  earn- 
estness, and  seemed  the  most  sincere  of  any.  They 
were  acquainted  with  logic,  and  argued  according  to 
rule.  He  began  by  saying,  fnuliam  salutem  esse 
extra  ecclesiam  Catholicam,  axioma  est?'  'Concedo,' 
said  I — 'sed  extra  Romanam  salus  esse  potest.' 
'Minime,'  they  all  cried  out.  'Quare,'  said  I,  'proba,' 
but  they  could  not.  At  last  I  went  away,  as  the  sun 
had  set,  and  they  all  attended  me  through  the  long 
dark  passages.  I  almost  trembled  at  the  situation 
and  company  I  was  in,  but  they  were  exceedingly 
polite,  and  begged  to  know  when  I  was  coming 
ashore  again,  that  they  might  expect  me.  I  had 
staid  so  long,  that  after  waiting  for  hours  at  the 
different  quays,  no  boat  returned;  and  I  was  obliged 
to  return  to  Sennor  Antonio's,  from  whom  I  receiv* 
ed  an  affectionate  welcome.  His  wife  and  slaves, 
who  seemed  to  be  admitted  to  the  utmost  familiari- 
ty, delighted  to  stand  around  me,  and  teach  me  the 
Portuguese  names  of  things." 

Nov.  21. — "Went  on  shore,  and  breakfasted  with 
Sennor  Antonio.  After  dinner,  while  he  slept,  I 
had  some  time  for  reading,  &:c.  In  the  evening,  he 
and  his  wife  and  a  female  slave  played  at  cards.  I 
sat  at  the  table,  learning  Hindoostanee  roots." 

*  *That  I  may  wltlidraw  myself  fi-om  the  vanity  of  earthly  things,  and 
consecrate  myelf  to  the  sjlory  of  God.' 

t  'it  is  an  axiom  that  there  is  no  salvation  out  of  the  Catholic  Church.'  'I 
grant  it,'  said  I;--  'but  tJiere  is  salvation  out  of  the  jRo77ian.'  *By  no  means/ 
they  ^^\]  cried  out.    <\\  herefove?'  said  I,  'prove  it,'  but  they  couUl  not. 


1j6*  memoir  of 

Nov.  23. — ''In  (lie  afternoon  took  leave  of  my 
kind  friends  Sennor  and  Sennora  Cone.  They  and 
tlie  rest  came  out  to  the  garden  gate,  and  continued 
looking,  till  the  winding  of  the  road  hid  me  from 
their  sight.  The  poor  slave  Raymond,  who  had 
attended  me  and  carried  my  things,  burst  into  a 
flood  of  tears,  as  we  left  the  door;  and  when  I 
parted  from  him,  he  was  going  to  kiss  my  feet;  but 
I  shook  hands  with  him,  much  affected  with  such 
extraordinary  kindness  in  people,  to  whom  I  had 
been  a  total  stranger  till  within  a  few  days.  What 
shall  I  render  unto  the  Lord /or  all  his  mercies! — In 
my  way  to  the  quay,  I  met  a  young  friar  of  the  order 
of  St.  Augustine.  He  understood  me  enough  to 
conduct  me  part  of  the  way  to  the  convent  of  the 
Franciscans — till  he  met  with  a  young  priest,  to 
whom  he  consigned  me.  With  him  I  had  a  dispute 
in  Latin.  AVhen  I  said  that  in  no  part  of  Scripture 
it  was  commanded  to  w^orship  the  Virgin;  he  color- 
ed, and  said,  in  a  lov*^  tone,  'verum  est.'^  At  the 
monastery,  I  met  with  my  old  friends  the  same  four 
friars.  After  regaling  me  with  sweetmeats,  they 
renewed  the  dispute.  We  parted  with  mutual  lam- 
entations over  one  another;  I  telling  them  they 
were  in  an  awful  error;  they  smiling  at  my  obsti- 
nacy, and  mourning  over  my  lost  coiiditioo.  I  went 
away  in  no  small  dejection,  that  the  Gospel  should 
have  so  Httle  effect,  or  rather  none  at  all.  This  was 
by  no  means  diminished  Avhen  I  came  to  the  boat. 

*  Tt  is  true. 


REV.    HENRY    I^IARTYA.  157 

it  was  the  commemoration  of  the  Hegira;  and  our 
Mahomedan  rowers,  dressed  in  white,  were  singing 
hymns  all  the  way  to  the  honor  of  Mahomet.  Here 
was  another  abomination.  B  *  *  *  sat  beside  me, 
and  we  had  a  long  conversation,  and  for  some  time 
went  on  very  Avell.  I  cleared  away  error,  as  I 
thought,  very  fast;  and,  when  the  time  was  come,  I 
stated  in  a  few  words  the  Gospel.  The  reply  was, 
that  "I  was  not  speaking  to  the  purpose;  that  for 
his  part,  he  could  not  see  what  more  could  be  neces- 
sary than  simply  to  tell  mankind  they  must  be  sober 
and  honest."  I  turned  away,  andj  with  a  deep  sigh, 
cried  to  God  to  interfere  in  behalf  of  his  Gospel:  for 
in  the  course  of  one  hour,  I  had  seen  three  shockino- 
mementos  of  ths  reign  and  power  of  the  Devil, 
in  the  form  of  Popish  and  Mahomedan  delusion,  and, 
that  of  the  natural  man.  I  never  felt  so  strongly 
what  a  nothing  I  am.  All  my  clear  arguments  are 
good  for  nothing;  unless  the  Lord  stretch  out  his 
hand,  I  speak  to  stones.  I  felt,  however,  no  way 
discouraged,  but  only  saw  the  necessity  of  de pen- 
dance  on  God." 

After  little  more  than  a  fortnight,  the  fleet  sailed, 
whilst  many  a  grateful  recollection  filled  the  breast, 
and  many  a  fervent  prayer  ascended  doubtless  from 
the  heart  of  Mr.  Martyn,  in  behalf  of  Sennor  and 
Sennora  Corre:  from  them  he  had  received  signal 
kindness  and  hospitality;  and  of  them  it  might  not 
perhaps  be  too  much  to  observe,  Hhat  not  forgetful 
to  entertain  strangers,  they  had  entertained  an  angel 
21       ^ 


158'  WEMOm    OF 

unawares.'  "I  have  been  with  nij  friend  Antonio,'^ 
said  he  "as  a  wayfaring  man  that  tarrieth  but  for 
a  night;  yet  hath  the  Lord  put  it  into  his  heart  to 
send  me  on  after  a  goodly  sort.  And  now  we  prose- 
cute our  voyage:  a  few  more  passages,  and  I  shall 
find  myself  in  the  scene  of  my  ministry;  a  few  more 
changes  and  journies,  and  I  am  in  eternity." 

As  the  time  approached  for  the  soldiers  to  take 
the  field,  Mr.  Martyn's  anxiety  for  their  eternal 
welfare  increased;  and  as  a  proof  of  it,  he  set  apart 
a  day  for  fasting,  humiliation,  and  intercession  for 
them,  as  well  as  for  all  who  were  in  the  ship.  But 
he  did  not  intercede  for  them,  he  observed,  as  being 
himself  righteous,  but  chose  rather  to  humble 
himself  with  them  as  a  sinner;  earnestly  crying  to 
God  in  contrition,  and  abasement  of  soul. — At  this 
solemn  juncture,  he  began  to  read  and  expound  to 
his  auditors  the  holy  Scriptures  exclusively;  and 
after  some  consideration  respecting  the  propriety  of 
such  a  step,  he  determined  not  to  suffer  them  to 
part  without  prayer  to  the  Lord,  as  well  as  singing 
his  praises.  Such  a  procedure,  he  was  well  aware, 
would  put  the  faith  of  his  hearers,  as  well  as  his 
own  in  some  measure,  to  a  strong  and  trying  test. 
Above^  obloquy  and  contempt  might  be  expected: 
helou\  noise  and  clamor  and  scoffs*  He  nevertheless 
persisted  in  his  purpose,  resolving,  as  the  line  of 
duty  seemed  to  be  clear,  to  pursue  it  steadily,  and 
calmly  commit  all  consequences  to  God.  "To  kneel 
in   prayer,"  he   remarked  in  a  letter  to  a  friend, 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYR.  159 

•^before  a  considerable  number  of  lookers  on,  some 
working,  others  scoffing,  was  a  painful  cross  to  my 
poor  people  at  first.  But  they  received  strength 
according  to  their  day;  and  now  the  song  of  us  all 
is,  'Thou  hast  prepared  a  table  before  me  in  the 
presence  of  my  enemies.' " 

The  unhealthy  state  of  the  ship's  company,  from 
Dysentery,  at  this  period  of  the  voyage,  was  anoth- 
er call  on  Mr.  Martyn's  pastoral  assiduity — a  call  to 
which  he  evinced  no  backwardness  to  attend.  Of- 
ten was  he  to  be  found  by  the  beds  of  the  sick,  ad- 
ministering to  them  every  temporal  and  spiritual 
comfort — till  at  Ieno:th  he  was  himself  seized  bv 
that  contagious  disorder.  His  illness  was  not  of 
long  duration,  but  was  such  as  to  make  him  think 
seriously  of  death,  and  employ  himself  in  the  most 
solemn  self-examination.  On  which  occasion,  he 
had  so  much  delight  and  joy  in  the  consideration  of 
heaven  and  of  his  assured  title  to  it,  that  he  was 
more  desirous  of  dying  than  living — not  that  it  was 
any  one  thing  that  he  had  done,  (he  remarks,)  that 
gave  him  substantial  reason  for  thinking  himself  in 
Christ — it  was  the  heyit  of  his  affections  and  inclina- 
tions towards  God,  and  the  taste  he  had  for  holy 
pleasures  and  holy  employments,  which  convinced 
him  that  he  was  born  of  God. 

No  sooner  had  he  recovered  from  this  attack, 
than  he  was  again  at  his  post,  kneeling  beside  the 
hammocks  of  the  dying.  And  amongst  those  who 
then  required  and  received  his  faithful  offices,  was 


160  MEMOIR    Oi 

the  Captain  of  the  ship,  whose  illness,  though  of  a 
different  kind  from  the  prevailing  one,  was  highly 
dangerous,  and  quickly  terminated  in  his  dissolution. 
And  now  as  the  year  was  drawing  to  a  close,  and. 
the  last  Sabbath  of  it  was  come;  Mr.  Martyn  ad- 
dressed his  hearers  from  2  Pet.  iii,  11; — "Seeing  then 
that  all  these  things  shall  be  dissolved,  what  man- 
ner of  persons  ought  ye  to  be  in  all  holy  conver- 
sation and  godliness;"  in  reference  to  their  having 
left  England — to   their  having  passed  through  so 
many  perils — to  their  being,  many  of  them,  about 
to  meet  an  enemy  in  the  field — and  to  the  death 
of  their  Captain.      His  own  mind,  which  could  not 
but  be  in  an  exceedingly  serious  frame,  was  also  in 
a  state  of  the  purest  joy,  and  most  perfect  peace. 
"Separated,"  said  he,  "from   my  friends  and  coun- 
try for  ever,  there  is  nothing  to  distract  me  from 
hearing  the  'voice  of  my  beloved,'  and  coming  away 
from    this   world,  and  walking   with   him   in  love, 
amidst  the   flowers  that  perfume  the  air  of  para- 
dise, and  the  harmony  of  the  happy,  happy  saints 
who  are  singing  his  praise.     Thus  hath  the  Lord 
brought    me   to    the    conclusion  of  the   year;   and 
though  I  have  broken  his  statutes,  and  not   kept 
his  commandments;  yet  he  hath  not  utterly  taken 
away  his  loving  kindness,  nor  suffered  his  truth  to 
fail.     I  thought,    at   tlie  beginning  of  the  year,  I 
should  have  been  in  India  at  this  time,  if  I  should 
have  escaped  all  the  dangers  of  the  climate.    These 
dangers  are  yet  to  come;  but  I  can  leave  all  cheer- 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  161 

fully  to  God.  If  I  am  weary  of  any  thing,  it  is  of 
my  life  of  sinfulness.  I  want  a  life  of  more  devotion 
and  holiness;  and  yet  am  so  vain,  as  to  be  expect- 
ing the  end  without  the  means.  I  am  far  from  re- 
gretting, that  {  ever  came  on  this  delightful  work; 
were  I  to  choose  for  myself,  I  could  scarcely  find  a 
situation  more  agreeable  to  my  taste.  On,  there- 
fore, let  me  go,  and  persevere  steadily  in  this  bless- 
ed undertaking;  through  the  grace  of  God  dying 
daily  to  the  opinions  of  men,  and  aiming,  with  a 
more  single  eye,  at  the  glory  of  the  everlasting 
God." 

On  the  2nd  of  January,  1806,  whilst  Mr.  Martyn 
was  in  the  act  of  commending  his  flock  to  God  in 
prayer,  the  High  Lands  of  the  Cape  became  visible 
at  eighty  miles  distance;  and  doubtless  they  were 
not  seen  without  excitins:  the  strongest  emotions  in 
many  hearts:  numbers  there  were  soon  to  assemble, 
who  should  meet  no  more  till  all  nations  were  gath- 
ered before  the  tribunal  of  Christ. 

On  the  3d,  the  fleet  anchored,  and  the  signal  was 
instantly  given  for  the  soldiers  to  prepare  to  land. 
But  how  then  was  Mr.  Martyn's  holy  and  affection- 
ate soul  grieved,  to  witness  the  dreadful  levity  con- 
cerning death,  which  almost  universally  prevailed! 
''It  was,"  said  he,  "a  melancholy  scene.  I  couid 
speak  to  none  of  my  people  but  to  Corporal  B  *  "^  * 
and  ^  *  =*=.  I  said  also  to  Sergeant  G  *  *  ^  'it  is  7iow 
high  time  to  be    decided  in  religion.'     He  replied 


162  MEMOIR    OF 

>vith  a  sigh.  Poor  Corporal  B  "^^  *  *  and  the  others 
gave  me  a  last  affecting  look  after  they  were  in  the 
boats.  I  retired  to  pray;  and  found  delightful  ac- 
cess to  God,  and  freedom  in  prayer  for  the  poor 
soldiers.*' — The  Indiamen  being  then  ordered  to 
get  under  weigh,  and  the  men  of  war  drawn  up  close 
to  the  shore,  a  landing  was  effected,  and  soon  after 
seven  the  next  day,  as  Mr.  Martyn  describes  it,  "a 
most  tremendous  fire  of  artillery  began  behind  a 
mountain  abreast  of  the  ships.  It  seemed  as  if  the 
mountam  itself  was  torn  by  intestine  convulsions. 
The  smoke  rose  from  a  lesser  eminence  on  the  right 
of  the  hill;  and,  on  the  top  of  it,  troops  were  seen 
marching  down  the  farther  declivity.  Then  came 
such  a  long  drawn  fire  of  musketry,  that  I  could  not 
conceive  any  thing  like  it.  We  all  shuddered  at 
considering  what  a  multitude  of  souls  must  be  pass- 
ing into  eternity.  The  poor  ladies  were  in  a  dread- 
ful condition;  every  peal  seemed  to  go  through  their 
hearts.  I  have  just  been  endeavoring  to  do  what  1 
can  to  keep  up  their  spirits.  The  sound  is  now 
retiring;  and  the  enemy  are  seen  retreating  along 
the  low  ground  on  the  right  towards  the  town." 

With  the  hope  of  being  useful  to  the  wounded 
and  dyihg  in  the  field  of  battle,  Mr.  Martyn  after 
this  period  of  torturing  suspense  went  on  shore;  and 
in  the  following  letter  to  Mr.  Simeon,  he  states 
what  he  endured  whilst  enpafjed  in  that  disinterested 
errand  of  love  and  mercv. 


REy.    HE>JRY    MARTYX;  163 


Unio7i,  Table  Bay,  Jan.  7,  1806. 

"I  embraced  the  opportunity  of  getting  to  the 
Avounded  men,  soon  after  my  landing.  A  party  of 
the  Company's  troops  were  ordered  to  repair  to  the 
field  of  battle,  to  bring  away  the  wounded,  under 
the  command  of  Major  ^  *  *,  whom  I  knew.  By 
his  permission,  I  attached  myself  to  them,  and 
marched  six  miles  over  a  soft  burning  sand,  till  we 
reached  the  fatal  spot.  We  found  several  but 
slightly  hurt;  and  these  we  left  for  a  while,  after 
seeing  their  wounds  dressed  by  a  surgeon.  A  little 
onward  Avere  three  mortally  wounded.  One  of 
them,  on  being  asked,  'where  he  was  struck,-  opened 
his  shirt,  and  shewed  a  wound  in  his  left  breast* 
The  blood  which  he  was  spitting,  shewed  that  he 
had  been  shot  through  the  lungs.  As  I  spread  a 
great  coat  over  him,  by  the  siirgeon's  desire,  who 
passed  on  without  attempting  to  save  him,  I  spoke 
of  the  blessed  Gospel,  and  besought  him  to  look  to 
Jesus  Christ  for  salvation.  He  was  surprised,  but 
could  not  speak;  and  1  was  obliged  to  leave  him,  in 
order  to  reach  the  troops,  from  whom  the  officers, 
oiit  of  regard  to  my  safety,  would  not  allow  me  to 
be  separated.  Amongst  several  others,  some  wound- 
ed, and  some  dead,  was  Captain  ^  ^  ^^  who  vvas  shot 
by  a  rifleman.  We  all  stopped  to  gaze  for  a  while, 
in  pensive  silence,  over  his  pale  body;  and  then  pass- 
ed on  to  witness  more  proofs  of  the  sin  and  misery 
of  fallen  man.     Descending  into   the  plain,  .where 


164-  MEMOIR    OF 

the  main  body  oi"  each  army  had  met,  I  saw  some 
of  the  59  th,  one  of  whom,  a  corporal,  who  some- 
times had  sung  with  us,  told  me  that  none  of  the 
59th  were  killed,  and  none  of  the  officers  wounded. 
Some  farm  houses,  which  had  been  in  the  rear  of 
the  enemy's  army,  had  been  converted  into  an 
hospital  for  the  wounded,  whom  they  were  bring- 
ing from  all  quarters.  The  surgeon  told  me,  that 
there  were  already  in  the  houses  two  hundred, 
some  of  whom  were  Dutch.  A  more  ghastly 
spectacle  than  that  which  presented  itself  here 
I  could  not  have  conceived.  They  were  ranged 
without  and  within  the  houses  in  rows,  covered 
with  gore.  Indeed  it  was  the  blood  which  they 
had  not  had  time  to  wash  off,  that  made  their  ap- 
pearance more  dreadful  than  the  reality;  for  few 
of  their  wounds  were  mortal.  The  confusion  was 
very  great;  and  sentries  and  officers  were  so  strict 
in  their  duty,  that  I  had  no  fit  opportunity  of  speak- 
ing to  any  of  them,  but  a  Dutch  captain,  with  whom 
I  conversed  in  French.  After  this,  I  walked  out 
again  with  the  surgeon  to  the  field,  and  saAV  several 
of  the  enemy's  wounded.  A  Hottentot,  who  had 
his  thigh  broken  by  a  ball,  was  lying  in  extreme 
agony,  biting  the  dust,  calling  down  horrid  impreca- 
tions in  English  upon  the  Dutch.  I  told  him  he 
ought  to  pray  for  his  enemies;  and  after  telling  the 
poor  wretched  man  of  the  Gospel,  I  begged  him  to 
pray  to  Jesus  Christ.  But  our  conversation  was 
soon  interrupted;  for,  in  the  absence  of  the  surgeon, 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN,  165 

who  was  gone  back  for  his  instruments,  a  Highland 
soldier,  came  up,  and  challenged  me  with  the  words, 
^Who  are  you?'  'An  Englishman.'  'Nd,'  said  he, 
'you  are  French,'  and  began  to  present  his  piece. 
As  I  saw  that  he  was  rather  intoxicated,  and  did  not 
know  but  that  he  might  actually  fire  out  of  mere 
wantonness,  I  sprang  up  towards  him,  and  told  him, 
if  he  doubted  my  word,  he  might  take  me  as  his 
prisoner  to  the  English  camp, — but  that  I  certainly 
was  an  English  clergyman.  This  pacified  him,  and 
he  behaved  with  great  respect.  The  surgeon,  on 
examining  the  wound,  said  the  man  must  die,  and  so 
left  him.  At  length,  I  found  an  opportunity  of  re- 
turning, as  I  much  wished,  in  order  to  recover  from 
distraction  of  mind,  and  give  free  scope  to  reflection. 
I  lay  down  on  the  border  of  a  clump  of  shrubs  or 
bushes,  with  the  field  of  battle  in  my  view;  and 
there  lifted  up  my  soul  to  God.  Mournful  as  the 
scene  was,  I  yet  thanked  God  that  he  had  brought 
me  to  see  a  specimen,  though  a  terrible  one,  of  what 
men  by  nature  are.  May  the  remembrance  of  this 
day  ever  excite  me  to  pray  and  labor  more  for  the 
propagation  of  the  Gospel  of  peace.  Then,  shall 
men  love  one  another.  Nation  shall  not  lift  up 
sword  against  nation,  neither  shall  they  learn  war 
any  more.  The  Blue  Mountains,  at  a  distance  to 
the  eastward,  which  formed  the  boundary  of  the 
prospect,  were  a  cheering  counterpart  to  what  was 
immediately  before  me;  for  there  I  conceived  my 
beloved  and  honored  fellow-servants,  companions  in 
22 


366  ME5M0IR    OF 

the  kingdom  and  patience  of  Jesus  Christ*,  to  be 
passing  the  days  of  their  pilgrimage  far  from  the 
world,  imjfirting  the  truths  of  the  precious  Gospel 
to  benighted  souls.  May  I  receive  grace  to  be  a 
follower  of  their  faith  and  patience;  and  do  you 
pray,  my  brother,  as  I  know  that  you  do,  that  I  may 
have  a  heart  more  warm,  and  a  zeal  more  ardent 
in  the  glorious  cause.  I  marched  back,  the  same 
evening,  with  the  troops.  The  surf  on  the  shore 
w  as  very  high,  but,  through  mercy,  we  escaped  that 
danger.  But  when  we  came  to  our  ship's  station, 
we  found  she  was  gone:  having  got  under  weigh 
some  hours  before.  The  sea  ran  high.  Our  men 
were  almost  spent,  and  I  was  very  faint  from  hunger; 
but,  after  a  long  struggle,  we  reached  an  Indiaman 
about  midnight." 

For  the  detail  of  the  events  which  succeeded 
that  most  distressing  day,  and  the  incidents  which 
transpired  during  his  continuance  at  the  Cape,  we 
refer  to   the   Journal. 

January  10th. — "About  five,  the  commodore 
fired  a  gun,  which  was  instantly  answered  by  all 
the  men-of-war.  On  looking  out  for  the  cause, 
we  saw  the  British  flag  flying  on  the  Dutch  fort. 
Pleasing  as  the  cessation  of  Avarfare  was,  I  felt  con- 
siderable pain  at  the  enemy's  being  obliged  to  give 
up  their  fort  and  town,  and  every  thing  else,  as  a 
conquered  people,  to  the  will  of  their  victors.     I 

*  The  ■Missionaries  of  the  United  Brethren  at  Grunekloof  and  tinadental, 
and  those  belonging  to  the  London  Missionary  Society  at  Bethelsdorp. 


KEV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  167 

hate  the  cruel  pride  and  arrogance  that  makes 
men  boast  over  a  conquered  foe.  And  every  ob- 
servation of  this  sort  which  I  hear  cuts  me  to  the 
very  heart;  whether  from  nature  or  from  grace,  I 
do  not  know;  but  I  had  rather  be  trampled  upon 
than  be  the  trampler.  I  could  find  it  more  agreea- 
ble to  my  own  feelings  to  go  and  weep  with  the 
relatives  of  the  men  whom  the  English  have  killed, 
than  to  rejoice  at  the  laurels  they  have  won." 

January  12. — Sunday.  "Very  unlike  a  Sabbath 
day:  the  whole  morning,  till  dinner  time,  was  taken 
up  in  working  the  ship  from  her  place  to  a  station 
nearer  the  shore.  There  were  so  few  hands  on 
board,  that  I  was  obliged  to  take  my  place  at  the 
capstan.  The  wind  now  blows  a  hurricane  over 
Table  Mountain.  I  feel  myself  a  guilty  creature. 
Hide  not  thy  face  from  me,  O  God." 

January  13. — "Went  on  shore  to  Cape  Town, 
and  took  lodgings.  Walked  about  the  Company's 
gardens,  ahd  General  Jansen's,  whose  family  I  saw. 
I  felt  much  for  the  unfortunate  females. — From 
the  first  moment  I  arrived,  1  had  been  anxiously 
inquiring  about  Dr.  Vanderkemp.  I  heard  at 
last,  to  my  no  small  delight,  that  he  was  now  in 
Cape  Town.  But  it  was  long  before  I  could  find 
him.  At  length  I  did.  He  was  standing  outside 
of  the  house,  silently  looking  up  at  the  stars.  A 
great  number  of  black  people  were  sitting  around. 
On  my  introducing  myself,  he  led  me  in,  and  called 
for  Mr.  Read,     I  was  beyond  measure  delighted 


168  MEMOIR     OF 

at  the  happiness  of  seeing  him  too.  The  circum- 
stance of  meeting  with  these  beloved  and  highly 
honored  brethren,  so  filled  me  with  joy  and  grat- 
itude for  the  goodness  of  God's  providence,  that  I 
hardly  knew  what   to   do." 

January  14. — ''Continued  w^alking  with  Mr. 
Read  till  late.  He  gave  me  a  variety  of  curious 
information  respecting  the  mission.  He  told  me 
of  his  marvellous  success  amongst  the  Heathen — 
how  he  had  heard  them  amongst  the  bushes  pour- 
ing out  their  hearts  to  God.  At  all  this,  my  'soul 
did  magnify  the  Lord,  and  my  spirit  rejoiced  in 
God  my  Savior.' " 

"Walked  with  brother  Read,  and  was  so  charm- 
ed with  his  spiritual  behavior,  that  I  fancied  myself 
in  company  with  David  Brainerd.  Sat  at  night  in 
the  open  air,  with  Table  Mountain  before  me,  and 
endeavored  to  meditate  on  Isaiah  xi,  2." 

January  19. — "I  went  to  a  church  lately  built  for 
the  instruction  of  slaves.  There  were  about  one 
hundred  sent  from  fifty  different  families.  A  black, 
who  was  employed  in  lighting  the  candles,  was  point- 
ed out  to  me  as  one  who  was  to  go  as  a  Missionary 
to  Madagascar." 

January  20. — "Walking  home,  I  asked  Dr.  Van- 
derkemp  if  he  had  ever  repented  of  his  undertaking. 
No,  said  the  old  man,  smiling;  and  I  would  not  ex- 
change my  work  for  a  kingdom." 

January  26. — "Dear  Dr.  Vanderkemp  gave  me  a 
Syriac  Testament,  as  a  remembrance  of  him." 


REV.     HENRY     BIARTYN.  169 

January  27. — "Preached  at  the  hospital.     Many 
were  in  tears." 

January  29. — "Walked  with  brother  Read  in 
the  gardens,  and  continued  to  have  much  conver- 
sation on  the  mission,  on  our  conversion,  and  on  the 
work  of  grace  in  the  heart.  How  profitable  and 
heart-enlivening  is  conversation  on  experimental  re- 
ligion, when  carried  on  without  pride  or  display  of 
great  experience!  Preached  at  the  hospital.  In  my 
■walk  home,  by  the  sea-side,  I  sighed  at  thinking  of 
*  #  #  with  whom  I  had  stood  on  the  shore  before 
coming  aw^ay,  and  of  the  long  seas  that  were  rolling 
betwixt  us;  but  felt  cheerful  and  strong  in  spirit  to 
fulfil  the  word  of  God." 

January  30. — "Rose  at  five  and  began  to  ascend 
Table  Mountain  at  six,  with  S  ^  =^  *  and  M  ^  ^  *  I 
went  on  chiefly  alone.  I  thought  on  the  Christian 
life — wdiat  uphill  work  it  is — and  yet  there  are 
streams  flowing  down  from  the  top,  just  as  there 
was  water  coming  dow^i  by  the  Kloof,  by  which 
we  ascended.  Towards  the  top  it  was  very  steep, 
but  the  hope  of  being  soon  at  the  summit,  encour- 
aged me  to  ascend  very  lightly.  As  the  Kloof  open- 
ed, a  beautiful  flame-colored  flower  appeared  in  a  lit- 
tle green  hollow,  waving  in  the  breeze.  It  seemed 
to  me  an  emblem  of  the  beauty  and  pcacefulness  of 
heaven,  as  it  shall  open  upon  the  weary  soul  when 
its  journey  is  finished,  and  the  struggles  of  the  death- 
bed are  over.  We  walked  up  and  dow^n  the  whole 
length,   which  might  be  between   two  and  three 


170  IVffiMOIR    OF 

miles,  and  one  might  be  said  to  look  romid  the 
world  iiom  this  promontory.  I  felt  a  solemn  awe 
at  the  grand  prospect — from  which  there  was  nei- 
ther noise  nor  small  objects  to  draw  off  my  atten- 
tion. I  reflected,  especially  when  looking  at  the 
immense  expanse  of  sea  on  the  East,  which  was  to 
carry  me  to  India,  on  the  certainty  that  the  name  of 
Christ  should  at  some  period  resomid  from  shore  to 
shore.  I  felt  commanded  to  wait  in  silence,  and  see 
how  God  would  bring  his  promises  to  pass.  We 
began  to  descend  at  half-past  two.  Whilst  sitting 
to  rest  myself  towards  night,  I  began  to  reflect  with 
death-like  despondency  on  my  friendless  condition. 
Not  that  I  wanted  any  of  the  comforts  of  life,  but  I 
wanted  those  kind  friends  who  loved  me,  and  in 
whose  company  I  used  to  fmd  such  delight  after  my 
fatigues.  And  then,  remembering  that  I  should 
never  see  them  more,  I  felt  one  of  those  keen 
pangs  of  misery  that  occasionally  shoot  across  ray 
breast.  It  seemed  like  a  dream,  that  I  had  actually 
undergone  banishment  from  them  for  life;  or  rather 
like  a  dream,  that  I  had  ever  hoped  to  share  the 
enjoyments  of  social  life.  But,  at  this  time,  I 
solemnly  renewed  my  self-dedication  to  God,  pray- 
ing that  for  his  service  I  might  receive  grace,  to 
spend  my  days  in  continued  suffering,  and  separation 
from  all  I  held  most  dear  in  this  life — forever. — 
Amen.  How  vain  and  transitory  are  those  pleas- 
ures which  the  worldliness  of  my  heart  will  ever 
be  magnifying  into  real  good!    The  rest  of  the  even- 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  171 

ing,  I  felt  weaned  from  the  world,  and  all  its  con- 
cerns, with  somewhat  of  a  melancholy  tranquillity." 

January  30. — "From  great  fatigue  of  body,  was 
in  doubt  about  going  to  the  hospital,  and  very 
unwilHng  to  go.  However,  1  went,  and  preached 
with  more  freedom  than  ever  I  had  done  there. 
Having  some  conversation  with  Colonel  *  *  *,  I 
asked  him  'whether,  if  the  wound  he  had  received 
in  the  late  engagement  had  been  mortal,  his  pro- 
faneness  would  have  recurred  with  any  pleasure  to 
his  mind  on  a  death-bed.'  He  made  some  attempts 
at  palliation — though  in  great  confusion;  but  bore  the 
admonition  very  patiently." — 

February  4. — "Dr.  Vanderkemp  called  to  take 
leave.  I  accompanied  him  and  brother  Smith  out 
of  the  town,  with  their  two  waggons.  The  dear 
old  man  shewed  much  affection,  and  gave  me  advice, 
and  a  blessing  at  parting.  While  we  were  standing 
to  take  leave,  Koster,  a  Dutch  Missionary,  was 
just  entering  the  town  with  his  bundle,  having  been 
driven  from  his  place  of  residence.  Brother  Read, 
also,  appeared  from  another  quarter,  though  we 
thought  he  had  gone  to  sea.  These,  with  Yons*, 
and  myself,  made  up  six  Missionaries,  Avho,  in  a  few 
minutes,  all  parted  again." 

In  the  commencement  of  the  voyage  from  the 
Cape,  which  took  place  not  many  days  after  this 
short  but  most  interesting  meeting,  Mr.  Martyn's 
patience  was  exercised,  as  before,  by  the  tedious- 

*  The  Missionaiyj  probably,  destined  for  Madagascar. 


172  MEMOIR   OP 

ness  of  ihe  passage — by  sickness— and  by  languor. 
But  whether  tossed  on  that  stormy  sea  which  roars 
round  the  Cape — or  becalmed  in  the  .midst  of  the 
Indian  ocean — or  enfeebled  by  the  recurrence  of 
illness  and  extreme  relaxation — he  received  all  with 
the  meekest  resignation,  as  the  special  appointment 
of  his  God. 

The  violent  and  increasing  opposition  he  experi- 
enced from  many  of  the   more  intelligent  part  of 
the  passengers,  and  the  discouraging  inattention  he 
too  often  perceived  amongst  the  other  class  of  his 
hearers,  caused  him  to  "grieve  on  their  account,  and 
to  humble  himself  before   God."     "I  go  down,"  he 
says,  "and  stand  in  the  midst  of  a  few,  without 
their  taking  the  slightest  notice  of  me:  Lord,  it  is  for 
thy  sake  I  suffer  such  slights — let  me  persevere  not- 
withstanding."    But  though  he  mourned  on  their 
account,  he  was  "contented  to  be  left  without  fruit, 
if  such  were  the  will  of  God."     Conscious  of  hav- 
ing delivered  the  message  faithfully,  and  trusting 
that,  Avith  respect  to  both  descriptions  of  his  audit- 
ors, he  had  commended  himself  to  their  conscien- 
ces, if  he  had  not  reached   their  hearts,  his  own 
peace  of  mind  was  not  affected:  and  he  affirms,  that 
he  was  "as  happy  as  he  could  be  without  more 
grace;" — representing  himself  as  enjoying  "peaceful 
thoughts — tender  recollections — and   happy    pros- 
pects."— How   could   he   fail    of  pleasantness  and 
peace,  when  this  was  the  genuine  expression  of  the 
sentiments  of  his  soul?   "I  am  born  for  God  onlv. 


JtEV.    HENRY   MARTYIi.  173 

Christ  is  nearer  to  me  than  father,  or  mother,  or 
sister — a  nearer  relation — a  more  affectionate  friend: 
and  I  rejoice  to  follow  him  and  to  love  him.  Bless- 
ed Jesus!  thou  art  all  I  want — a  forerunner  to  me  in 
all  I  ever  shall  go  through,  as  a  Christian — Minis- 
ter— or  Missionary." 

The  sickness  with  which  the  ship's  company  had 
been  affected  before  reaching  the  Cape,  prevailed 
now  more  extensively  than  ever. — Many  fell  a  sacri- 
fice to  the  disorder,  and  amongst  others  a  devout 
soldier,  with  whom  Mr.  Martvn  had  often  united  in 
prayer  and  praises,  and  often  conversed  on  the  things 
of  eternity.  A  mournful  satisfaction  it  was  to  him 
to  attend  his  Christian  brother  in  his  last  illness,  and 
afterwards  to  commit  his  body  to  the  deep,  in  cer- 
tain expectation  that  the  'sea  should  give  up  her 
dead,'  and  he  with  him  should  enter  into  the  joy  of 
their  Lord.  "Thus,"  hie  says,  "is  my  brother  gone- 
he,  with  whom  I  had  conversed  on  divine  things,  and 
sung,  and  prayed,  is  entered  luio  that  glory  of  which 
we  used  to  discourse.  To  his  multiplied  sorrows 
upon  earth,  he  has  bid  an  everlasting  adieu.  May 
I  follow  his  faith  and  patience,  till,  with  him,  I 
inherit  the  promises." 

Falling  in  with  the  trade  winds,  the  fleet  made 
quick  progress  towards  India;  and  whilst  the  breezes 
wafted  Mr.  Martyn  towards  the  destined  scene  of 
his  labors,  many  a  sigh  did  he  continue  to  breathe 
under  a  sense  of  his  ow^n  sinfulness  and  weakness; 
and  many  a  petition  did  he  pour  forth  for  the  nation 
23 


174  34LMOIR    OF 

to  whom  he  was  sent.     He  felt  it  "good  and  suitable 
to  walk  through  this  world  overwhelmed  with  con- 
trition and  love— receiving  with  grateful  content- 
ment every  painful  dispensation,  because  not  worthy 
to  enjoy  the  light    of   this    world*' — praying  that 
"God  would  glorify  himself  with  the  gifts  and  gra- 
ces of  all  his  creatures,  and   make   him  take   his 
place  at  the  bottom  of  them  unnoticed,  unknown, 
and  forgotten." — "O  when  the  spirit   is    pleased," 
said  he,  "to  shew  his  creature  but  a  few  scattered 
specimens  of  his    ungodly  days,  yea  of  his   godly 
ones — how  universally  and  desperately  wicked  dotlv 
he  appear.     O  that  I  knew  how  to  be  duly  abased. 
What  shall  I  think  of  myself  in  comparison  of  oth- 
ers?   How  ouglit  I   to  kiss  the  very  dust  beneath 
their  feet,  from  a  consciousness  of  my  inferiority; 
and  in  my  thoughts  of  God,  and  his  dealings  with 
me,  how  ought  I  to  be  wrapped  up  in  constant  aston- 
ishment."— Then  after  setting  apart  a  day  for  fast- 
ing and  humiliation,  he  began  to  pray  for  the  setting 
\\p  of  God's  kingdom  in   the   world,  especially  in 
India,  and  had  such  energy  and  delight  in  prayer  as 
he  never  had  before  experienced.    "My  whole  soul," 
he  said,  "wrestled  with  God.     I  knew  not  how  to 
leave  off  crying  to  him  to  fulfil  his  promises,  chiefly 
pleading  his  own  glorious  power.     I  do-  not  know^ 
that  any  thing  would  be   a  heaven  to  me  but  the 
service  of  Christ,  and  the  enjoyment  of  his  presence. 
O  how  sweet  is  life  when  spent  in  his  service!  I  am 
going  upon  a  work  immediately  according  to  the 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  175 

mind  of  Christ,  and  my  glorious  Lord,  whose  power 
is  uncontrollable,  can  easily  open  a  way  for  his 
feeble  follower  through  the  thickest  of  the  ranks  of 
his  enemies.  And  now,  on  let  me  go,  smiling  at  my 
foes — how  small  are  human  obstacles  before  this 
mighty  Lord!  How  easy  is  it  for  God  to  effect  his 
purposes  in  a  moment.  What  arc  inveterate  preju. 
Jices  when  once  the  Lord  shall  set  to  his  hand!  In 
prayer,  I  had  a  most  precious  view  of  Christ,  as  a 
friend  that  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother.  O  how 
sweet  was  it  to  pray  to  him.  I  hardly  knew  how  to 
contemplate  with  praise  enough  his  adorable  excel- 
lencies. Who  can  shew  forth  all  his  praise?  I  can 
conceive  it  to  be  a  theme  long  enough  for  eternity. 
I  want  no  other  happiness — no  other  sort  of  heav- 
en."— With  such  holy,  humble,  and  heavenly  senti- 
ments as  these  did  Mr.  Martyn  approach  the  shores 
of  Indostan;  and  going  as  he  was  into  the  vineyard 
of  S.  Bartholomew  and  Pantenus,  of  Ziegenbalg 
and  Swartz,  it  was  in  their  spirit  that  he  prepared 
to  enter  upon  his  labors. 

On  the  good  Friday  shortly  preceding  his  arrival 
in  India,  and  which  he  passed  in  prayer  and  fasting, 
he  represents  himself  as  enjoying  throughout  a  most 
blessed  and  serene  view  of  Christ.  The  word  of 
God  was  very  sweet  to  him,  whilst  reading  the  ac- 
count of  the  suffering  and  death  of  Jesus.  He  was 
entirely  withdrawn  from  all  other  concerns,  and 
felt  his  soul  cleaving  to  Christ,  his  Savior,  in  tender 
seriousness — thankful  that  such  days  have  been  set 


176  MEMOIR     OP 

apart  by  the  Church.  "In  praying  that  God  would 
no  longer  delay  exerting  his  power  in  the  conversion 
of  the  Eastern  nations,  I  felt  emboldened,"  he  ob- 
serves, "to  employ  the  most  familiar  petitions,  by 
Isa.  Ixii,  6,  7.  Blessed  be  God  for  those  words^ 
They  are  like  a  cordial  to  my  spirits;  because  if  the 
Lord  is  not  pleased  by  me,  or  during  my  life-time,  to 
call  the  Gentiles,  yet  he  is  not  offended  at  my  being 
urgent  with  him,  that  the  kingdom  of  God  may 
come." 

On  the  19th  April,  Ceylon  was  discovered,  which 
Mr.  Martyn  describes  as  presenting  a  long  range  of 
hills,  running  North  and  South,  broken  in  a  pictur- 
esque manner,  though  not  lofty,  with  low  lands  be- 
tween the  hills  and  sea,  covered  with  trees:  and 
whilst  the  breezes  from  the  Island  regaled  his 
senses  with  their  soothing  and  refreshing  fragrancy, 
his  mind  was  filled  with  a  train  of  delightful  antici- 
pations— he  was  thinking  of  the  time  when  the  name 
of  Jesus  should  be  as  ointment  poured  forth,  in  tem- 
ples raised  by  Cingalese,  amidst  their  cinnamon 
groves — and  when  supplications  should  there  as- 
cend, like  clouds  of  incense,  through  the  merits  of 
the  Redeemer. 

The  Sunday  after  this,  presuming  it  would  be  the 
last,  Mr.  Martyn  addressed  the  ship's  conlpany  in  a 
farewell  discourse.  The  occasion,  it  might  have 
been  conceived,  was  such  as  to  preclude  any  dispo- 
sition to  ridicule,  even  with  men  pre-eminently  dis- 
posed to  scoffing  and  contempt.      But  those  who 


REV.     HENRY     MARTYN.  177 

had  reviled  him  at  first,  continued  to  revile  him  to 
the  very  last.  "It  pained  me,"  he  remarked,  "that 
thej  should  give  a  ridiculous  turn  to  any  tiling  on  so 
affecting  an  occasion  as  parting  for  ever  in  this  life. 
But  such  is  the  untliankful  office  of  a  minister.  Yet 
I  desire  to  take  the  ridicule  of  men  with  all  meek- 
ness and  charity,  looking  forward  to  another  world 
for  approbation  and  reward." 

And  now,  after  a  wearisome  interval  of  above 
nine  months,  from  the  time  of  his  leavins:  Ports- 
mouth,  the  land  appeared  which  Mr.  Martyn  had 
so  ardently  longed  to  behold:  on  the  21st  of  April 
"his  eyes  were  gratified  with  the  sight  of  India." 

April  22. — "At  sun-rise,  we  anchored,"  he  says 
"in  Madras  roads.  Several  doobashees,  or  inter- 
preters, came  on  board,  dressed  in  white  muslin. 
I  went  ashore  in  one  of  the  country  boats,  made 
very  high,  in  order  to  weather  the  surf;  with  the 
boards  throughout  sewed  together  very  coarsely 
with  straw,  and  the  interstices  filled  with  it.  On 
shore  I  was  surrounded  by  an  immense  crowd  of 
coolies,  I  suppose  two  hundred,  who  caught  up  one 
box  after  another,  and  v»^cre  going  off  in  different 
directions,  so  that  I  was  obliged  to  run  instantly, 
and  stop  them;  and  having  with  some  difficulty  got 
my  things  together,  I  went  to  the  Custom-House, 
att^inded  by  four  coolies,  a  doobashee,  an  umbrella 
carrier,  and  a  boy  or  waiting  man;  all  of  whom  at- 
tached themselves  to  me,  without  at  all  consulting  me 
on  the  occasion.     Nothino;  as  vet  struck  me  as  re- 


178  MEMOm    OF 

markable  in  the  country,  for  the  novelty  of  it  had 
been  anticipated  in  what  I  had  seen  at  St.  Salvador. 
The  number  of  black  people  was  immense,  and  the 
crowd  of  servants  so  great,  that  one  would  suppose 
they  thought  themselves  made  for  the  service  of 
the  English.  The  elegance  of  their  manners  I  was 
much  taken  w^ith;  but,  in  general,  one  thought 
naturally  occurred,  the  conversion  of  their  poor 
souls.  I  felt  a  solemn  sort  of  melancholy  at  the 
sight  of  such  multitudes  of  idolaters.  While  the 
turbaned  Asiatics  waited  upon  us  at  dinner,  aboui 
a  dozen  of  them,  I  could  not  help  feeling  as  if  we 
had  got  into  their  places.  But  now,  that  I  am 
actually  treading  Indian  ground,  let  me  bless  and 
adore  my  own  God  for  doing  so  much  for  me;  and 
Oh!  if  I  live,  let  me  have  come  hither  for  some 
purpose." 

April  26. — "Towards  night,  I  walked  out  with 
Samees,  my  servant,  in  a  pensive  mood;  and  went 
through  his  native  village  Chindaput. — Here  all 
was  Indian. — -No  vestige  of  any  thing  European. — ^ 
It  consisted  of  about  two  hundred  houses — those  in 
the  main  street  connected — and  those  on  either 
side  of  the  street  separated  from  one  another  by 
\itt\e  winding  paths.  Every  thing  presented  the 
appearance  of  wretchedness.  I  thought  of  my 
future  labors  among  them  with  some  despondency; 
yet  I  am  willing,  I  trust,  through  grace,  to  pass  my 
days  among  them,  if  by  any  means  these  poor  people 
may  be  brought  to  God.     The  sight  of  men,  women, 


REV.    HENRY     MARTYN.  179 

and  children — all  idolaters,  makes  me  shudder,  as 
in  the  dominions  of  the  Prince  of  darkness.  I  fancy 
the  frown  of  God  is  visible.  There  is  something 
peculiarly  awful  in  the  stillness  that  prevails. — » 
Whether  it  is  the  relaxing  influence  of  the  climate, 
or  what,  I  do  not  know;  but  there  is  every  thing 
here  to  depress  the  spirits;  all  nature  droops." 

April  27 — Sunday.  "Enjoyed  some  solemn  mo- 
ments this  morning.  This  is  my  first  Sabbath  in 
India.  May  all  the  time  I  pass  in  it  be  a  Sabbath 
of  heavenly  rest  and  blessedness  to  my  soul. — 
Preached  on  Luke  x,  41,  42;  there  was  attention. 
After  dinner  went  to  Black  Town  to  Mr.  Love- 
lace's Chapel.  I  sat  in  the  air  at  the  door,  enjoy- 
ing the  blessed  sound  of  the  Gospel  on  an  Indian 
shore,  and  joining  with  much  comfort  in  the  song  of 
divine  praise." 

April  28, — "Had  much  conversation  with  Dr. 
Kerr.  At  night  the  Portuguese  children  sung  'Be- 
fore Jehovah's  awful  throne'  very  sweetly:  it  ex- 
cited a  train  of  affecting  thoughts  in  my  mind.  'Wide 
as  the  world  is  thy  command' — and  therefore  it  is 
easy  for  thee  to  spread  abroad  thy  holy  name.  But 
oh,  how  gross  the  darkness  here!  The  vail  of  the 
covering  cast  over  all  nations  seems  thicker  here; 
the  fiends  of  darkness  seem  to  sit  in  sullen  repose  in 
this  land." 

April  30. — "Walked  by  moonlight,  reflecting  on 
the  Mission.  Mv  soul  was  at  first  sore  tried  with 
desponding  thoughts:  but  God  wonderfully  assisted 


i80  MEMOIR    OP 

me  to  trust  him  for  the  wisdom  of  his  dispensations. 
Truly  therefore,  I  will  say  again,  'Who  art  thou,  O 
great  mountain;  before  Zerubbabel  thou  shalt  be- 
come a  plain.'  How  easy  for  God  to  do  it;  and  it 
shall  be  done  in  due  time:  and  even  if  I  never  should 
see  a  7iative  converted^  God  may  design^  by  my  patience 
and  continuance  in  the  work,  to  encourage  future  Mis- 
sionaries.  But  what  surprises  me  is  the  change  of 
views  I  have  here  from  what  I  had  in  England. 
There  my  heart  expanded  with  hope  and  joy  at  the 
prospect  of  the  speedy  conversion  of  the  Heathens; 
but,  here,  the  sight  of  the  apparent  impossibility 
requires  a  strong  faith  to  support  the  spirits." 

After  being  detained  a  short  time  at  Madras,  the 
fleet  sailed  for  the  Hoogley;  during  which  voyage 
Mr.  Martyn  again  suffered,  indescribably,  from  the 
relaxati'vi  of  his  frame.  He  rose  in  the  morning 
with  the  deepest  melancholy,  and  seemed,  as  he 
expresses  it,  hft  without  a  motive,  "He  looked 
forward  to  an  idle  worthless  life  spent  in  India  to 
no  purpose.  Exertion  seemed  to  him  like  death — 
indeed  absolutely  impossible.  But  it  pleased  God 
"at  length  to  give  him  deliverance,  by  enabling  him 
to  exercise  faith,  and  to  remember  that,  as  a  sinner 
saved,  he  was  bound  to  evince  the  most  fervent 
gratitude   to  God. 

The  great  Pagoda  of  Juggernaut,  now  becoming 
distinctly  visible,  was  a  sight  sufficient  to  rouse  Mr. 
Martyn  from  almost  any  depths  of  depression,  either 
of  body  or  mind.     Contemplating  that  horrid  altar 


REV.  HENRY  MAPTYN.  181 

of  blood  and  Impurity,  his  soul  was  excited  to  sen- 
timents of  the  tenderest  commiseration  for  the  child- 
ren of  wretched  India,  '*who  had  erected  such  a 
monument  of  her  shame  on  the  coast,  and  whose 
Heathenism  stared  the  stranger  in  his  face." 

Leaving  Juggernaut  behind,  a  tremendous  hurri- 
cane, such  as  is  often  experienced  in  those  latitudes, 
descended  on  the  fleet,  and,  in  an  instant,  every  sail 
of  the  Union  was  rent  in  pieces.  All  was  uproar 
in  the  ship:  nor  was  there  resource  but  to  run  be- 
fore the  gale;  which,  had  they  been  farther  on  their 
way,  must  have  driven  them  upon  some  sand-banks 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Hoogley.  Incessant  lightning 
rendered  the  scene  more  dreadful.  When  nature 
began  to  shrink  at  dissolution,  Mr.  Martyn  was 
much  reconciled,  he  says,  to  it,  by  such  thoughts  as 
these.  "What  have  I  here?  Is  it  not  better  to 
go,  and  to  be  with  Jesus,  and  to  be  free  from  my 
body  of  sin  and  death?"  But,  for  the  sake  of  the 
poor  unconverted  souls  in  the  ship,  he  adds,  "I  pray- 
ed earnestly  for  her  preservation." 

To  this  danger,  from  which  Mr.  Martyn  was 
mercifully  delivered,  another  of  a  yet  more  formid- 
able nature  succeeded,  Avhen  he  was  entered  the 
mouth  of  the  Hoogley,  and  was  rejoicing  in  the 
happy    termination   of  an   eventful   voyage. 

On  the    13th  of  May,  the    Union   struck  on  a 

sand-bank  near  the  Diamond  Harbor;    where  her 

situation   was  awfully  dangerous:    for  night  came 

on,  and  the  wind  increased.     The  vessel  was  con- 

24 


J  82  IVIEx>I011l    OF 

sidered  bj  the  Captain  as  lost,  and  all  the  passengers 
were  in  the  utmost  terror.  Mr.  Martyn  "retired 
lor  prayer,  and  found  his  soul  in  peace;"  nor  was 
the  fervent  prayer  of  this  righteous  man  ineffectual. 
After  continuing  in  extreme  peril  for  two  hours, 
the  ship  very  unexpectedly  floated  into  deep  water; 
thus  being  yet  more  deeply  convinced  that  in  God 
and  in  his  hand  were  all  his  ways,  and  having  his 
heart  humbled  in  thankfulness  to  him  as  the  author 
of  all  his  mercies,  Mr.  Martyn  arrived  at  Calcutta, 
from  whence  he  thus  disclosed  the  sentiments  of  his 
heart   to  a  beloved  Christian  friend: — 

"My   long  and  wearisome   voyage  is  concluded, 
and  I   am  at  last  arrived  in  the  country,  where  I 
am  to  spend  my  days  in  the  work  of  the  Lord. 
Scarcely  can  I  believe  myself  to  be  so  happy  as  to 
be  actually  in  India;  yet  this  hath  God  wrought- 
Through  changing  climates,  and  tempestuous  seas* 
he  hath  brought  on  his  feeble  worm  to  the  field  of 
action;  and  will,  I  trust,  speedily  equip  me  for  my 
work.     I    am  now   very  far  from  you   all,  and  as 
often  as  I  look  round  and  view  the  Indian  scenery, 
I  sigh  to  think  of  the  distance  that  separates  us. 
Time,    indeed,   and   reflection   have,   under    God, 
contributed   to   make    the   separation  less  painful; 
yet  still   my  thoughts  recur   with  unceasing  fond- 
ness to  former  friendships,  and  make  the  duty  of 
intercession  for  you  a  happy  privilege.     Day  and 
night,  I  do  not  cease   to  pray  for  you,  and  I  am 
willing  to  hope  that  you  too  remember  me  daily  at 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  183 

the  throne  of  grace.  Let  us  not,  by  any  means, 
forget  one  another;  nor  lose  sight  of  the  day  of 
our  next  meeting.  We  have  little  to  do  with  the 
business  of  this  world.  Place  and  time  have  not 
that  importance  in  our  views  that  they  have^in 
those  of  others;  and,  therefore,  neither  change  of 
situation  nor  lapse  of  years  should  weaken  our 
Christian  attachments.  I  see  it  to  be  my  busine^ 
to  fulfil  as  a  hireling,  my  day;  and,  then,  to  leave 
the  world.  Amen.  We  shall  meet  in  happier 
regions.  I  believe  that  those  connexions,  and  com- 
forts, and  friendships,  I  have  heretofore  so  desired, 
though  they  are  the  sweetest  earthly  blessings,  are 
earthly  still*' 


MEMOIR- 


PART  II. 


For  many  years  supplications  had  incessantly  as- 
cended up  to  heaven  from  Christians  in  India,  for 
the  spiritual  prosperity  of  that  benighted  land;  and 
for  a  considerable  time  a  stated  weekly  meeting  had 
been  held  at  Calcutta,  on  the  recommendation  of 
Dr.  Buchanan  and  Mr.  Brown,  for  the  express  pur- 
pose of  beseeching  the  Lord  to  send  forth  laborers 
into  those  fields  which  were  white  unto  the  harvest. 
What  a  manifest  answer  to  these  petitions  was  the 
appearance  of  Mr.  Martyn  amongst  those,  who,  to 
this  effect,  had  been  offering  up  their  prayers. — 
One*  of  these,  a  name  dear  to  all  who  admire  zeal, 

*  Dr.  Buchanan. 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  185 

integrity,  liberality,  and  an  entire  consecration  of 
bright  talents  in  the  cause  of  Christian  philanthropy, 
was  now  about  to  commence  his  researches  into  the 
state  of  religion  amongst  the  Syrian  Christians:  and 
the  ship  which  conveyed  him  on  that  interesting 
errand  left  the  mouth  of  the  Hoogley  as  the  Union 
entered  it.  To  him,  doubtless,  the  sight  of  Mr. 
Martyn  would  have  seemed  an  answer  to  prayer, 
demanding  the  warmest  thanksgiving:  the  voice  of 
a  Christian  Missionary  would  have  been  sweeter  in 
his  ears  than  those  sounds  which  he  afterward?^ 
heard  in  Travancore,  from  the  bells  amongst  the 
hills,  and  which  reminded  him  of  another  country. 

At  Aldeen,  near  Calcutta,  the  residence  of  the 
Rev^  David  Brown,  Mr.  Martyn  was  received  and 
w^elcomed  with  all  that  cordiality  of  affection  which 
characterises  the  genuine  servants  of  the  Lord 
Jesus.  Finding  in  him  a  spirit  eminently  congenial 
with  his  own,  he  gladly  became  one  of  his  dear  fam- 
ily, as  he  expresses  it,  and  his  days  passed  delight- 
fully.— In  order  that  he  might  enjoy  as  much  retire- 
ment as  he  deemed  necessary,  Mr.  Brown  prepared 
a  pagoda  for  his  habitation:  it  was  situate  on  the 
edge  of  the  river,  at  no  great  distance  from  the 
house,  and  there  the  vaulted  roof  was  so  changed 
from  its  original  destination  as  often  to  re-echo  the 
voice  of  prayer  and  the  songs  of  praise:  and  Mr. 
Martyn  triumphed  and  rejoiced,  that  the  "place 
where  once  devils  were  Avorshipped,  was  now  be- 
come a  Christian  oratory."-^ 


186  MEMOIR    OF 

Soon  after  his  being  fixed  at  Aldeen,  his  aflfec- 
tionate  friends  there  became  seriously  alarmed  at 
an  attack  of  fever  which  he  experienced.  His 
ilhiess  was  of  some  continuance,  and  in  it  he  was 
assaulted  by  a  temptation  more  dangerous  than 
uncommon — a  temptation  to  look  to  himself  for 
some  qualification  with  which  to  approach  the  Sa- 
vior— for  something  to  warrant  his  confidence  in 
him,  and  hope  of  acceptance  from  him. — Search- 
ing for  evidences  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining 
whether  we  are  in  Christy  widely  differs  from 
searching  for  them  to  warrant  abold^iess  of  access  to 
Christ:  for  this  we  reqmre  no  evidence;  but  need  only 
the  passport  of  faith,  and  the  plea  of  our  own 
wretchedness:  and  as  it  is  the  design  of  our  great 
adversary  (such  is  his  subtilty)  to  lead  us  to  deny 
the  evidences  of  faith  altogether — so  it  is  his  pur- 
pose to  betray  us  into  a  legal  and  mistaken  use  of 
them.  We  find  Mr.  Martyn  at  this  time  expressing 
himself  thus: — "I  could  derive  no  comfort  from  re- 
flecting on  my  past  life.  Indeed  exactly  in  propor- 
tion as  I  looked  for  evidences  of  grace,  I  lost  that 
brokenness  of  spirit  I  wished  to  retain,  and  could  not 
lie  with  simplicity  at  the  foot  of  the  cross.  I  really 
thought  that  I  was  departing  this  life.  I  began  to 
pray  as  on  the  verge  of  eternity:  and  the  Lord  was 
pleased  to  break  my  hard  heart.  I  lay  in  tears 
interceding  for  the  unfortunate  natives  of  this  coun- 
try; thinking  with  myself  that  the  most  despicable 


REV.    HENRY    MARTVN.  187 

Soodar  of  India  was  of  as  much  value  in  the  sight 
of  God  as  the  King  of  Great  Britain." 

So  pleasantly  and  sweetly,  after  his  recovery,  did 
the  current  of  Mr.  Martyn's  days  pass  on  at  Aldeen 
and  Calcutta,  that  he  began  to  fear,  lest  the  agree- 
able society  he  met  with  there  should  induce  a 
softness  of  mind,  and  an  indisposition  to  solitude  and 
bold  exertion.  Of  this  society  he  remarks,  "I  felt 
sometimes  melancholy  at  the  thought  that  I  should 
soon  be  deprived  of  it.  But  alas!  why  do  I  regret 
^it?  Sweet  is  human  friendship — sweet  is  the  com- 
munion of  saints — but  sweeter  far  is  fellowship 
with  God  on  earth,  and  the  enjoyment  of  the  soci- 
ety of  his  saints  in  heave  n." 

The  city  of  Calcutta  was  a  place  so  evidently 
suited  to  that  order  of  talent  with  which  Mr.  Mar- 
tyn  was  endowed,  that  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  that 
the  solicitations  of  his  Christian  friends  there  should 
pour  in  upon  him  at  this  time,  with  the  view  of  per- 
suading him  to  continue  amongst  them  in  a  sphere 
which  they  considered  so  well  adapted  for  the  exer- 
cise of  his  ministry.  But  it  was  truly  said  of  him 
by  one*  now  before  the  throne  with  him  in  the 
world  of  light — that  "he  had  a  spirit  to  follow 
the  steps  of  Brainerd  and  Swartz;"  and  "to  be 
prevented  going  to  the  Heathen,"  he  himself  re» 
marked  on  this  occasion,  "would  almost  have  brokeu 
his  heart." 

*  Di\  Buchanan— Christian  Researches. 


188  MEMOIR    OF 

In  the  vicinity  of  Aldeen,  indeed,  he  witnessed, 
with  horror,  the  cruel  rites  and  debasing  idolatries 
of  Heathenism.  The  blaze  of  a  funeral  pile  caused 
him  one  day  to  hasten  and  endeavor,  if  possible,  to 
rescue  an  unfortunate  female,  who  was  consumed 
before  he  could  reach  the  spot.  In  a  dark  wood, 
at  no  great  distance  from  Serampore,  he  heard  the 
sounds  of  the  cymbals  and  dnnns,  summoning  the 
poor  natives  to  the  worship  of  devils^ — sounds  which 
pierced  his  heart;  and  before  a  black  image,  placed 
in  a  pagoda,  with  lights  burning  around  it,  he  be- 
held his  fellow-creatures  prostrating  themselves, 
Avith  their  foreheads  to  the  earth — a  sight  which 
he  contemplated  with  an  overwhelming  compassion, 
whilst  ''he  shivered,"  he  says,  ''as  standing  as  it  were 
in  the  neighborhood  of  hell." 

Scenes  so  affecting  as  these  might  have  pleaded 
with  him  effectually  in  favor  of  the  proposition  of 
his  friends,  had  he  not  remembered,  that  all  these 
things  happened  at  no  great  distance  from  Aldeen, 
Serampore,  and  Calcutta — from  whence  many  a 
holy  man  of  God  had  already  come  forth,  and  would 
again  come  forth,  crying  out  to  the  wretched  idola- 
ters, "why  do  ye  such  things" — "behold  the  Lamb 
of  God  which  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  w^orld."' 

Detained  as  Mr.  Martyn  unavoidably  was  at  this 
time,  from  what  he  considered  his  especial  employ- 
ment, he  applied  himself  more  ardently  than  ever 
to  the  acquisition  of  Hindoostanee,  availing  himself 
of  the  assistance  of  a  Cashmirian  Brahmin,  whom 


REV.    HEXRY   MARTYN.  189 

he  wearied  Avith  his  unbending  assiduity.  He  was 
also  instant  in  preaching  the  Gospel  to  his  country- 
men, both  in  the  Mission  Church  and  New  Church 
in  Calcutta. 

His  first  discourse  at  the  New  Church,  on  1  Cor. 
i,  23,  24,  occasioned  a  great  sensation,  of  a  kind  very 
different  indeed  from  that  which    he  heartily  de- 
sired,  but  Avhich,  from  the  treatment  to  which  he 
had  been   accustomed   on  board  the  ship,  he  was 
prepared  to  expect.     The   plain  exhibition   of  the 
doctrines  of  the  Gospel  was  exceedingly  offensive  to 
many  of  his  hearers.     Nor  did  the  ferment  thus  ex- 
cited subside  quickly,  as  it  often  does,  into  pity  or  con- 
tempt.   He  had  the  pain  very  shortly  after,  of  being 
personally  attacked  from  the  pulpit  by  some  of  his 
brethren,  whose  zeal  hurried  them  into  the  violation, 
not  only  of  an  express  canon  of  the  Church,  but  of 
the  yet  higher  law  of  Christian  charity,   and   led 
them  to  make  an  intemperate  attack  upon  him  and 
upon  many  of  the  truths  of  the  Gospel.    Even  when 
he  was  himself  present  at  Church,  Mr.  =^  *  *  spoke 
with  sufficient  plainness  of  him  and  of  his  doctrines, 
calling  them  inconsistent,  extravagant  and  absurd; 
drawing  a  vast  variety  of  false  inferences  from  them, 
and  thence    arguing  against    them — declaring,   for 
instance,  that  to  affirm  repentance  to  be  the  gift  of 
God— and  to  teach  that  nature  is  wholly  corrupt, 
was  to  drive  men  to  despair — that  to  suppose  the 
righteousness   of  Christ  sufficient  to  justify,  is   to 
make   it   unnecessary  to  have  any   of  our  own. — 
.25 


190  MEMOIR    OF 

Though  compelled  to  listen  to  this  downright  heresy; 
to  hear  himself  described  as  knowing  neither  what 
he  said,  nor  whereof  he  affirmed — and  as  speakmg 
only  to  gratify  self-sufficiency,  pride,  and  uncharita- 
bleness, — "I  rejoiced,"  said  this  meek  and  holy  man 
thus  unjustly  aspersed,  "to  receive  the  Sacrament  of 
the  Lord's  Supper  afterwards — as  the  solemnities 
of  that  blessed  ordinance  sweetly  tended  to  soothe 
any  asperity  of  mind;  and  I  think  that  I  administer- 
ed the  cup  to  *  *  *  and  ^  *  *,  with  sincere  good- 
will." When  exposed  to  a  similar  invective  from 
another  preacher,  who  commenced  a  public  opposi- 
tion to  him,  by  denouncing  his  last  sermon  in  partic- 
ular as  a  rhapsoda — as  unintelligible  jargon — as  an 
enigma;  declaring  that  the  epistles  of  St.  Paul  were 
addressed  to  Heathens  alone,  and  that  if  St.  Paul 
could  look  down  from  heaven,  and  see  what  use  was 
made  of  his  words  to  distress  and  agitate  the  minds 
of  men,  he  would  grieve  at  such  perversions;  and 
who,  in  addition  to  this,  pointedly  addressed  Mr. 
Martyn,  and  charged  him  with  the  guilt  of  distress- 
ing and  destroying  those  for  whom  Christ  died, 
Avith  taking  aAvay  their  only  hope,  and  driving  them 
to  mopishness,  melancholy,  and  despair — and  finally, 
with  depriving  them  of  the  only  consolation  they 
could  have  on  a  death-bed, — he  again  ob&erves,  "we 
received  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  and 
I  was  glad  of  the  blessed  ordinance,  as  it  tended 
much  to  compose  my  mind,  and  soften  it  to  compas- 
siion  and  love  towards  all  mankind." 


REV.     HENRY     MARTYN.  191 

But,  if  Mr.  Martyn  had  abundant  reason  to  be 
grieved  and  pained  at  the  conduct  of  some  of  his 
brethren  at  Calcutta,  he  had  no  small  satisfaction  in 
the  wise  and  temperate  line  pursued  by  another 
Chaplain  in  this  season  of  doubtful  and  distressing 
disputation;  who,  perceiving  that  the  doctrines  of 
the  Church  of  England  were  becoming  a  matter 
of  warm  and  general  controversy,  adopted  the 
admirable  plan  of  simply  reading  the  Homilies  to 
ihe  congregation— thus  leaving  the  Church  author- 
itatively  to  speak  for  herself  and  affording  to  all 
classes,  an  opportunity  of  deciding  which  of  the 
parties  was  in  accordance  with  her  incomparable 
formularies — Mr.  Martyn  or  his  opposers.  Mr. 
*  ^  %  he  says,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  all  serious 
people,  began  to  read  a  Homily  by  way  of  sermon; 
after  stating  the  diversity  of  opinion  which  had 
lately  prevailed  in  the  pulpit,  and  again  "at  the  New 
Church,  I  read,  and  Mr.  ^  ^  ^  preached  the  second 
and  third  parts  of  the  'Homily  on  Salvation.'  The 
very  clear  exhibition  of  divine  truth  w^hich  was  thus 
presented  was  very  rejoicing  to  our  hearts." 

Attached  as  Mr.  Martyn  was  to  the  Church  of 
England,  he  was  far  from  either  the  apathy  or  the 
jealousy  in  which  too  many  are  apt  to  indulge,  re- 
specting the  interests  of  other  Christian  communi- 
ties. Very  decidedly  did  he  differ  in  some  impor- 
tant points  from  the  Baptists.  But  it  was  with  the 
sincerest  grief  that  he  heard,  during  his  abode  at 
Aldeen,  of  an   order  issued   by  the  Government 


392  MEMOIR    OF 

(though  it  proved  afterwards  that  he  was  misinform- 
ed) to  prevent  their  preaching  and  distributing  tracts. 
So  perplexed  and  excited  was  he  by  the  intelhgence, 
that  it  even  deprived  him  of  sleep;  and  he  spoke 
afterwards  with  so  much  vehemence  against  the 
measures  of  Government,  as,  upon  reflection,  to 
afford  him  matter  for  self-condemnation. — "I  know 
not,"  he  said,  "what  manner  of  spirit  I  am  of;  I 
fancy,  it  is  all  zeal  for  God;  but  what  a  falsehood  is 
this?  I  am  severe  against  a  Governor,  not  making 
allowances  for  what  he  knows.  O  does  it  become 
me  to  be  judging  others?  Did  Jesus  canvass  the  pro- 
ceeding of  Government  with  the  spirit  of  one  of 
this  v»  orld?  I  pray  to  be  preserved  from  ever  fall- 
ing into  this  snare  again.  May  I,  with  poverty  of 
spirit,  go  on  my  way;  and  never  again  trouble  my- 
self with  what  does  not  belong  to  me!  I  trust  I 
shall  be  able  to  distinguish  between  zeal  and  self- 
will.  Ld  me  never  fancy  1  have  zeal  till  my  heart 
overflows  ivitk  love  to  every  man  living,^^ 

On  the  13th  of  September  Mr.  Martyn  received 
his  appointment  to  Dinapore;  by  which  time,  not- 
withstanding all  his  vigilance,  the  comforts  of  the 
life  he  had  been  leading,  had  so  far  won  upon  him, 
that  he  suffered  much  at  the  thoughts  of  his  removal. 
^^It  is  an  awful  and  arduous  thing,"  said  he^  "to  root 
out  every  affection  to  earthly  things,  so  as  to  live  for 
another  world.  I  was  astonished  at  the  attachment 
I  felt  for  earthly  things.  The  happiness  of  invisi- 
ble  and   eternal   things  seemed   something  like  a 


REV.     HENRY     MARTYN.  193 

dream;  the  faint  remains  of  what  I  had  formerly 
known.  In  great  melanchoiy,  I  determined,  before 
God,  to  leave  this  wretched  world  once  more;  but 
my  soul  w^as  greatly  cast  down.  The  affections 
were  entwined  around  something  or  other  here;  so 
that  it  appeared  like  death  to  be  torn  from  it."  So 
far,  however,  was  he  from  yielding  to  selfishness  or 
sloth,  that,  as  the  day  of  his  departure  drew  near, 
he  stirred  himself  up  to  the  consideration  of  the 
greatness  of  his  calling,  and  panted  to  begin  his 
work. 

At  the  beginning  of  October,  Mr.  Martyn  pre- 
pared to  leave  that  Christian  family,  in  whose  bosom 
he  had  received  such  unremitted  kindness;  but  not 
before  he  had  welcomed  the  joyful  arrival  of  two 
more  fellow  laborers  from  England,  who,  following 
his  bright  track  and  imitating  his  self-denying  exam- 
ple, had  turned  their  backs  on  the  beloved  land  of 
their  nativity.  This  was  an  inexpressible  joy  to  his 
heart.  "I  went  down,"  (says  he  in  his  Journal)  Ho 
Calcutta,  where  we  had  the  happiness  of  meeting 
our  dear  brethren.  I  rode  out  with  them  in  the 
evening,  and  passed  most  of  the  time  in  conversing 
about  European  friends."  And  when  afterwards  he 
heard  one  of  them  (Mr.  Corrie)  preach,  he  thus 
expresses  himself: — "God  be  praised  for  another 
witness  to  his  truths.  O  may  abundant  grace  and 
gifts  rest  on  my  beloved  brother,  that  the  works  of 
God  may  shew  themselves  forth  in  him." — By  these 
various   circumstances,   together  with   the  letters 


1914  MEMOIR    OF 

which  at  the  same  time  he  received  from  those  to 
whom  he  was  so  attached  in  England,  his  affections 
of  love  and  joj  were  excited  to  such  a  degree,  that 
it  was  almost  too  much  for  his  frame. 

A  few  days  before  he  left  Aldeen,  several  of  Mr. 
Martyn's  friends  came  together  to  his  pagoda,  in 
order  that  they  might  unite  with  him  in  imploring  a 
blessing  on  his  intended  labors.  Such  a  meeting 
could  not  fail  of  being  highly  interesting,  and  it  was 
not  the  less  so  from  a  recollection  of  the  place  in 
which  they  were  assembled — a  Christian  congrega- 
tion in  a  building  which  once  had  been  an  idol  tem- 
ple, seemed  to  supply  a  consolatory  pledge  as  well 
as  a  significant  emblem  of  what  all  earnestly  prayed 
for,  and  confidently  anticipated,  in  poor  idolatrous 
India.  "My  soul,-'  said  Mr.  Martyn,  "never  yet  had 
such  divine  enjoyment.  I  felt  a  desire  to  break 
from  the  body,  and  join  the  high  praises  of  the 
saints  above.  May  I  go  'in  the  strength  of  this, 
many  days' — Amen.  'My  soul  doth  magnify  the 
Lord,  and  my  spirit  hath  rejoiced  in  God  my  Savior.' 
How  sweet  to  walk  with  Jesus — to  love  him — and 
to  die  for  him.  'Surely  goodness  and  mercy  shall 
follow  me  all  the  days  of  my  life;  and  I  will  dwell 
in  the  house  of  the  Lord  for  ever.'  "  And  again, 
the  next  day,  he  says — "The  blessed  God  has  again 
visited  my  soul  in  his  power,  and  all  that  was  within 
me  blessed  his  holy  name.  I  found  my  heaven 
begun  on  earth.  No  work  so  sweet  as  that  of 
praying,  and  living  Avholly  to  the  service  of  God." 


RET.    HENRY    MART^yV.  19§ 

On  the  15th  October,  after  taking  leave  of  the 
Church  at  Calcutta  in  a  farewell  discourse,  and  of 
the  family  at  Aldeen  in  an  exposition  at  morning 
worship,  Mr.  Martyn  entered  his  budgerow% 
which  was  to  convey  him  to  Dinapore;  and  sailed 
up  the  Ganges,  accompanied  hj  his  brethren,  Mr. 
Brown,  Mr.  Corrie,  and  Mr.  Parsons.  Mr.  Marsh- 
man,t  seeing  them  pass  by  the  Mission  House, 
couid  not  resist  joining  the  party;  and,  after  going  a 
little  way,  left  them  with  prayer.  At  night,  Mr. 
Martyn  prayed  with  his  brethren  in  the  vessel;  and 
the  next  day  they  devoted  the  whole  morning  to  re- 
ligious exercises.  "How  sweet  is  prayer,"  said  he, 
Ho  my  soul  at  this  time.  I  seem  as  if  I  could  never 
be  tired,  not  only  of  spiritual  joys,  but  of  spiritual 
employments,  since  these  are  now  the  same." 

The  day  after,  the  weather  becoming  tempestu- 
ous, his  brethren  sorrowfully  and  reluctantly  left 
him  to  prosecute  his  voyage  alone.  Before  they 
parted,  however,  they  spent  the  whole  morning  (to 
use  his  own  words)  in  a  divine  ordinance,  in  w^hich 
each  of  them  read  a  portion  of  Scripture,  and  all 
of  them  sung  and  prayed.  ''Mr.  Brown's  passage,  • 
chosen  from  the  1st  Joshua,  was  very  suitable,  said 
Mr.  Martyn — 'Have  I  not  sent  thee?'  Let  this  be 

*  A.  buflgerow  is  "a  travelling  boat  constructed  like  a  pleasure -barge. 
Some  have  cabins  fourteen  feet  wide,  and  proportionably  long  and  draw 
from  four  to  five  feet  water.  From  seventeen  to  twenty  miles  a  day  is  the 
greatest  distance  a  large  budgerow  can  be  towed  against  the  stre  am  durinj 
the  fair  season." Rennel. 

fOne  of  the  Baptist  Missionaries. 


196  MEMOIR    OF 

an  answer  to  my  fears,  O  my  Lord,  that  I  am  in  thy 
work;  and  that  therefore  I  shall  not  go  forth  at  my 
own  charges,  or  fight  any  enemies  but  thine.  It  was 
a  very  affecting  season  to  me — but  in  prayer  I  was 
far  from  a  state  of  seriousness  and  affection." 

'^I  was  left  alone  (he  writes,  October  17,  in  his 
Journal)  for  the  first  time  with  none  but  natives. 
The  wind  and  rain  became  so  violent,^  that  the  men 
let  the  budgerow  stay  upon  the  shore  the  whole 
day,  which,  in  consequence  of  beating  on  the  ground, 
leaked  so  much  that  the  men  were  obliged  to  be  in 
my  cabin  to  bale  her.  Read  with  Moonshee  one  of 
the  tracts  which  he  had  himself  translated  from  the 
Bengalee  into  verse.  Perceiving  him  to  be  alarmed 
at  the  violence  of  the  waves  beating  against  the 
boat,  I  began  to  talk  to  him  about  religion.  He  be- 
gan by  saying,  'May  God  be  our  Protector,' — this 
■was  a  favorable  beginning.  The  hurricane  abated 
before  midnight,  through  mercy." 

Oct.  18. — ''Reading  hard  all  day — wrote  out 
a  list  of  the  errata  in  one  of  the  tracts,  and  read 
Sanscrit  Grammar.  In  the  evening,  walked  along 
the  bank  with  my  gun,  and  fired  at  some  wild  fowl, 
which  the  servants  ate.  At  night,  read  part  of  a 
Nagree  tract  with  Moonshee.  Learnt  some  Ara- 
bic roots.  Felt  an  occasional  depression  of  spirits; 
but  prayer  instantly  removed  it:  so  that,  in  general, 
I  was  near  to  God  and  happy." 

*  "Tfie  Xorlh-westers  are  the  most  formidable  enemies  that  are  met  wiUi 
in  this  inland  navigation — whole  fleets  of  trading  boats  have  been  sunk  by 
them  almost  instantaneously.  But  it  is  in  the  great  rivers  alone,  when  iu- 
crcased  in  width,  that  they  are  the  most  formidable." — Kennel. 


REV.    HENRY     MARTYN.  197 

Oct.  19— Sunday.— '^The  first  solitary  Sabbath 
spent  amongst  the  Heathen:  but  my  soul  not  for- 
saken of  God.  The  prayers  of  my  dear  friends 
were  instant  for  me  this  day  I  well  perceiYe:  and  a 
great  part  of  my  prayer  was  occupied  in  delightful 
intercession  for' them.  The  account  of  the  fall  of 
man  in  the  first  chapter  in  Genesis,  and  of  his  resto- 
ration by  Christ,  was  unspeakably  affecting  to  my 
soul.  Indeed  every  thing  I  read  seemed  to  be  car- 
ried home  with  inefiiible  sweetness  and  power  by 
the  Spirit  to  my  soul;  and  all  that  was  within  me 
blessed  his  holy  name.  In  the  afternoon,  sent  to 
the  Moonshee  that  he  might  hear  the  Gcspel  read, 
or  read  it  himself.  Began  Mark — but  our  conver- 
sation turning  from  Christianity  to  Mahomedanisra, 
became  deadening  to  my  spirit. — Our  course  to-day 
was  still  along  the  Eastern  bank;  which  seems  to 
have  been  lately  the  bed  of  the  river,  and  bare  of 
trees  for  a  considerable  distance  from  the  water. 
The  Western  bank  covered  with  wood.  In  my 
evening  walk  saw  three  skeletons." 

Oct.  20. — "Employed  ail  day  in  trai^slating  the 
first  chapter  of  the  Acts  into  Hindoostanee.  I  did 
it  with  some  care;  and  wrote  it  all  out  in  the  Per- 
sian character;  yet  still  I  am  surprised  I  do  so  little. 
In  my  morning  walk  shot  a  bird,  with  a  beautiful 
plumage,  called  a  Culean;  and,  in  the  evening,  a 
large  bird,  called  a  Minca. — Putting  my  gun  into  the 
boat,  I  Vt'alked  into  the  village  where  the  boat  stop- 
ped for  the  night;  and  found  the  worshippers  of 
26 


198^  Memoir   of 

Cali  by  the  sound  of  their  drums  and  cjmbals.  I 
did  not  think  of  speaking  to  them,  on  account  of 
their  being  Bengalees.  But,  being  invited  to  walk 
in  by  the  Brahmins,  I  walked  in  within  the  railing, 
and  asked  a  few  questions  about  the  Idol.  The 
Brahmin,  who  spoke  bad  Hindoostanee,  disputed 
with  great  heat,  and  his  tongue  ran  faster  than  I 
could  follow;  and  the  people,  Avho  were  about  one 
hundred,  shouted  applause.  But  I  continued  to  ask 
my  questions,  without  making  any  remarks  upon  the 
answers.  I  asked,  among  other  things,  whether 
what  I  had  heard  of  Vishnu  and  Brahma  was  true; 
which  he  confessed.  I  forebore  to  press  him  with 
the  consequences,  which  he  seemed  to  feel,  and  so  I 
told  him  what  was  my  belief.  The  man  grew  quit^ 
mild,  and  said  it  was  chula  bat  (good  words;)  and 
asked  me  seriously  at  last  what  I  thought — "waS 
idol  worship  true  or  false?"  I  felt  it  a  matter  of 
thankfulness,  that  I  could  make  known  the  truth  of 
God,  though  but  a  stammerer;  and  that  I  had  de- 
clared it  in  the  presence  of  the  devil.  And  this  also 
I  learnt,  that  the  power  of  gentleness  is  irresistible. 
I  never  was  more  astonished  than  at  the  chan£:e  of 
deportment  in  the  hot-headed  Brahmin.  Read  the 
Sanscrit  grammar  till  bed-time." 

Oct.  21. — "Morning  at  Sanscrit,  without  gaining 
any  ground.  Afternoon,  with  Moonshee,  correct- 
ing Acts  i;  and  felt  a  little  discouraged  at  finding 
I  still  wrote  so  incorrectly,  though  much  pleased  at 
his  great  apparent  desire  of  having  it  perfectly  ac- 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN,  199 

curate.  Though  not  joyful  in  my  spirit  as  when 
my  friends  left  me,  I  feel  my  God  an  all-satisfying 
portion;  and  find  no  want  of  friends.  Read  Genesis 
and  Luke,  at  night  in  the  Septuagint  and  Hindoos- 
tanee.  Came  to  a  desert  place  on  the  Western 
bank." 

Oct.  22. — "Shot  a  bird  somewhat  larger  than  a 
woodcock,  and  like  it  in  taste,  and  a  snipe.  The 
Musalchee,  who  attended  me,  seeing  an  old  man 
who  had  caught  some  fish,  made  a  requisition  of 
them.  The  old  man  understood  the  Musalchee's 
meaning  better  than  I  did;  for  he  began  to  entreat 
me,  saying,  'he  was  a  poor  man;'  and  was  quite 
overjoyed  to  fmd  that  I  had  not  given  an  order  to 
plunder  him,  but  meant  to  pay.  I  then  recollected 
what  Mr.  Brown  told  me  'of  the  custom  the  ser^ 
vants  have  of  making  requisitions  from  the  natives 
in  the  name  of  their  English  masters.  Alas,  poor 
natives — how  accustomed  are  they  to  injustice. 
They  cannot  believe  their  English  masters  to  be 
better   than  their   Mahometan." — 

"A  Brahmin,  of  my  own  age,  was  performing 
his  devotions  to  Gunga  early  this  morning,  when  I 
was  going  to  prayer.  My  soul  was  struck  with  the 
sovereignty  of  God,  who,  out  of  pure  grace,  had 
made  such  a  difference  in  all  the  external  circum- 
stances of  our  lives.  O  let  not  that  man's  earnest- 
ness rise  up  in  judgment  against  me  at  the  last 
day. — In  the  afternoon,  they  were  performing  the 
ceremony  of  throwing  the  effigies  of  Cali,  collected 


200  MtMOIR    OP 

from  several  villages,  into  the  river.  In  addition 
to  the  usual  music,  there  Avere  trumpets.  The 
objects  of  worship,  which  were  figures  in  relief  on 
the  sector  of  a  circle  of  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty  degrees,  most  gorgeously  bedecked  with 
tinsel,  were  kept  under  a  little  awning  in  their 
respective  boats.  As  the  budgerow  passed  through 
the  boats,  they  turned  so  as  to  present  the  front  of 
their  goddess  to  me;  and,  at  the  same  time,  blew 
a  blast  with  their  trumpet,  evidently  intending  to 
gratify  me  with  a  sight  of  what  appeared  to  them 
so  fine.  Had  their  employment  been  less  impious, 
I  should  have  returned  the  compliment  by  look- 
ing, but  I  turned  away.  Yet  I  felt  no  tenderness 
of  grief;  nor  in  the  morning  did  I  feel  any  thing 
like  due  thankfulness  to  God's  electing  mercy,  in 
making  me  thus  to  differ  from  the  Brahmins.  I 
have  daily  and  hourly  proofs  of  my  corruption;  for 
when  does  my  heart  come  up  to  what  my  half-en- 
lightencd  understanding  approves?  Yet  I  intend, 
through  grace,  to  continue  praying  to  the  end  for 
their  poor  precious  souls,  that  the  kingdom  of  God 
may  be  set  up  here." 

"Came-to  on  the  Eastern  bank  below  a  village 
called  Ahgadeep.  Wherever  I  walked,  the  women 
fled  at  the  sight  of  me.  Some  men  were  sitting 
under  the  shed  dedicated  to  their  goddess;  and  a 
lamp  was  burning  in  her  place.  A  conversation 
soon  began;  but  there  was  no  one  who  could  speak 
Hindoostanee;  so  all  I  could  say  was  by  the  medium 


REV.     HENRY     MARTYN.  201 


of  my  mussulman  Musalchee.  They  said,  that  they 
only  did  as  others  did;  and,  if  they  were  wrong, 
(hen  all  Bengal  was  wrong.  I  felt  love  for  their 
souls,  and  longed  for  utterance  to  declare  unto  those 
poor  simple  people  the  holy  Gospel.  I  think  that 
when  my  mouth  is  opened,  1  shall  preach  to  them 
day  and  night.  I  feel  that  they  are  my  brethren  in 
the  flesh  precisely  on  a  level  with  myself." 

"In  the  morning  about  Sanscrit  though  still  quite 
in  the  dark.     Afternoon  with  Moonshee." 

October  22. — "The  tow-rope  broke,  and  we  were 
hurried  down  the  stream  with  great  rapidity;  the 
stream  running  seven  miles  an  hour.  We  ran  foul 
of  several  large  boats;  and  I  expected  we  should 
go  to  pieces.  The  people  of  the  other  boats  would 
not  afford  the  least  help;  so  the  Mangee  and  his 
assistant  jumped  over-board  with  a  rope,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  ashore,  but  were  unable  to  stop 
her  till  she  ran  foul  of  another,  which  was  made 
fast.  Came-to  at  night  on  the  Eastern  bank.  A 
delightful  season  to  me,  on  account  of  the  serenity 
of  my  mind,  and  of  my  happy  and  solemn  reflections 
on  the  grace  of  my  God  towards  his  poor  creature." 

"I  thought  at  night  more  than  usual  of  my  dear 
*  *  ^.  But  the  more  I  exaggerate  these  ideal  joys, 
the  more  I  treasure  up  subjects  of  woe.  O  w  hat 
vanity  has  God  written  upon  all  things  under  the 
sun." — "As  I  returned  late,  I  passed  between  the 
river  and  a  party  of  jackalls:  they  kept  at  a  little 
distance  till  we  were  passed." 


2te  MEMOIR  or 

October  25. — -^'Passed  the  morning  in  writing  out 
the  rules  of  Sundhi.  Had  a  very  solemn  season  of 
prayer,  by  the  favor  of  God,  over  some  of  the  chap- 
ters of  Genesis,  but  especially  the  conclusion  of  the 
119th  Psalm. — O  that  these  holy  resolutions  and 
pious  breathings  were  entirely  my  own!  Adored  be 
the  never  failing  mercy  of  God!  He  has  made  my 
happiness  to  depend,  not  on  the  uncertain  connexions 
of  this  life,  but  upon  his  own  most  blessed  self — a 
portion  that  never  faileth. — Came-to  on  the  Eastern 
bank.  The  opposite  side  was  very  romantic — 
adorned  with  a  stately  range  of  very  high  forest 
trees,  whose  deep  dark  shade  seemed  impenetrable 
to  the  light. — In  my  evening  walk  enjoyed  great 
solemnity  of  feeling,  in  the  view  of  the  world  as  a 
mere  wilderness,  through  which  the  children  of  God 
are  passing  to  a  better  country.  It  was  a  comfort- 
ing and  a  solemn  thought,  and  was  unspeakably 
interesting  to  me  at  the  time — that  God  knew 
whereabouts  his  people  were  in  the  wilderness,  and 
was  supplying  them  with  just  what  they  wanted." 

'*0n  my  return  towards  the  boat,  I  saw  a  wild 
boar  of  very  large  size,  gallopping  parallel  to  the 
river.  I  had  not  a  gun  with  me,  or  I  might  have 
killed  him,  as  he  was  within  reach  of  a  fusee  ball. 
— In  my  budgerow  found  great  dehght  in  Hart's 
Hymns  at  night." 

October  26. — Sunday.  "Passed  this  Lord's  day 
with  great  comfort,  and  precious  solemnity  of  soul. 
Glory  to  God  for  this  grace!  Reading  the  Scriptures 


BEy.    HENRY    MARTY^^  203 

and  prayer  took  up  the  first  part  of  the  day.  Al- 
most every  chapter  I  read  was  blest  to  my  soul — 
particularly  the  last  chapter  of  Isaiah:  *It  shall 
come  that  I  will  gather  all  nations  and  tongues,  and 
they  shall  come,  and  see  my  glory,'  &ic^  Rejoice, 
my  soul,  in  the  sure  promises  of  Jehovah.  How 
happy  am  I  when,  in  preparing  for  the  work  of 
declaring  his  glory  among  the  Gentiles,  I  think 
many  of  the  Lord's  saints  have  been  this  day 
remembering  their  unworthy  friend.  I  felt  as  if 
I  could  never  be  tired  with  prayer.  In  the  after- 
noon, read  one  of  Gibert's  French  Sermons — Bates 
on  Death — and  some  Nagree  Gospel.  In  the  even- 
ing, we  came-to  on  the  Eastern  bank.  I  walked 
into  a  neighboring  village,  with  some  tracts.  The 
children  ran  away  in  great  terror;  and  though 
there  were  some  men,  here  and  there,  I  found  no 
opportunity  or  encouragement  to  try  if  there  were 
any  that  could  speak  Hindoostanee:  however,  I 
felt  vexed  with  myself  for  not  taking  more  pains  to 
do  them  good.  Alas!  while  Satan  is  destroying 
their  souls,  does  it  become  the  servants  of  God  to 
be  lukewarm? — At  night,  read  the  third  and  fourth 
chapters  of  the  Acts;  and  lost  much  time  and  spir- 
ituality by  indulging  ideas  of  schemes  about  the 
Gospel,  which  had  more  of  romance  and  pride  in 
them  than  of  vt^isdom  and  humiliation." 

October  27. — "Arrived  at  Berhampore.  In  the 
evening,  walked  to  see  the  cantonments  at  the  hos- 
pital, in  which  there  were  one   hundred  and  fifty 


204  MEMOIR    OF 

European  soldiers  sick.  I  was  talking  to  a  man, 
said  to  be  dying,  when  a  surgeon  entered.  I 
went  up,  and  made  some  apology  for  entering  the 
hospital.  It  was  my  old  schoolfellow  and  towns- 
man ^  *  =^.  The  remainder  of  the  evenino:  he 
spent  with  me  in  my  budgerow.  He  pressed  me 
much  to  stay  longer  with  him,  w^hich  I  refused,  but, 
afterwards,  on  reflection,  I  thought  it  my  duty  to 
stay  a  little  longer;  thinking  I  might  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  preaching  to  the  soldiers." 

October  28. — "Rose  very  early,  and  was  at  the 
hospital  at  daylight.  Waited  there  a  long  time, 
wandering  up  and  down  the  wards,  in  hopes  of  in- 
ducing the  men  to  get  up  and  assemble:  but  it  was 
in  vain.  I  left  three  books  with  them;  and  went 
away,  amidst  the  sneers  and  titters  of  the  common 
soldiers.  Certainly  it  is  one  of  the  greatest  crosses 
I  am  called  to  bear,  to  take  pains  to  make  people 
hear  me.  It  is  such  a  struggle  between  a  sense  of 
propriety  and  modesty,  on  the  one  hand;  and  a 
sense  of  duty,  on  the  other;  that  I  find  nothing  equal 
to  it.  I  could  force  my  way  any  where,  in  order  to 
introduce  a  brother  minister;  but,  for  myself,  I  act 
with  hesitation  and  pain.  Mr.  *  *  *  promised  to  ask 
the  head  surgeon's  permission  for  me  to  preach;  and 
appointed  the  hour  at  which  I  should  come.  I  went 
there;  but,  after  waiting  two  hours,  wa-s  told  that 
the  surgeon  was  gone  without  being  spoken  to — and 
many  other  excuses  were  made.  So,  as  it  was  now 
the  heat  of  the  day,  I  saw  it  was  of  no  use  to  make 


REY,    HENRY     MARTYN.  205 

any  more  attempts;  and,  therefore,  I  went  on  my 
way.  At  night,  from  mere  thoughtlessness,  went  on 
shore  without  tracts,  and  lost  a  better  opportunity 
than  I  have  yet  had  of  distributing  them  among  the 
people.  My  soul  was  dreadfully  wounded  at  the 
recollection  of  it;  and,  O  may  the  conviction  of  my 
wickedness  rest  upon  my  soul  all  my  days!  How 
many  souls  will  rise  up  in  judgment  against  me  at 
the  last  day,  God  only  knows.  The  Lord  forgive 
my  guilty  soul — deliver  me  from  blood  guiltiness — 
and  make  me  to  remember  for  what  purpose  I 
came  hither." 

October  29. — "Passed  Cossim  Buzar  and  Moor- 
shedabad,  in  the  middle  of  the  day;  and  so  my  reso- 
lutions of  repairing  my  past  negligence  were  de- 
feated, for  we  stopped  at  night  where  there  was  not 
a  house.  A  party  of  boatmen  I  talked  with;  and 
begged  them  to  take  a  tract;  but  I  could  not  prevail 
upon  them.  Though  they  were  Rajemahl  people, 
I  could  not  understand  them,  nor  they  me  scarcely 
at  all.  I  am  grieved,  and  disappointed,  and  ashamed 
at  this  extraordinary  backwardness  in  the  language; 
but  I  hope  not  to  be  discouraged.  Employed  the 
whole  dny  in  translating  Acts,  chap,  ii,  and  correcting 
it  with  Moonshee." 

Oct.  30.^ — ''Employed  the  whole  day,  as  yester- 
day, about  the  same  chapter.  Read  also  the  Ram- 
ayuna,  and  Sale's  Introduction  to  the  Koran.  My 
views  enlarge  rapidly  respecting  the  state  of  things 
among  the  Hindoos  and  Mahometans. — Mv  soul  was 
27 


20(:?  MEMOIR    OF 

in  a  most  awful  state  of  impression:  Saian  was  at 
work,  and  my  soul  found  safety  only  in  holding  by 
God  as  a  child  clings  to  the  neck  of  its  mother. 
Thanks  be  to  God  that  I  have  the  witness  in  myself. 
'The  anointing,  which  ye  have  received  of  him, 
abideth  in  you,  and  ye  need  not  that  any  man  teach 
you,  but  as  the  same  anointing  teacheth  you  of  all 
things,'  (fee.  O  how  refreshing  and  supporting  to  my 
soul  was  the  holiness  of  the  word  of  God — sweeter 
than  the  sweetest  promise  at  this  time  was  the  con- 
stant and  manifest  tendency  of  the  word,  to  lead  men 
to  holiness  and  the  deepest  seriousness.  What  a 
contrast  to  it  is  the  mock  majesty  of  the  Koran,  and 
the  trifling  indecent  stuff  of  the  Ramayuna.  My 
whole  soul  seems,  at  present,  engrossed  in  the  work 
of  being  the  messenger  of  truth;  and,  at  every  sea- 
son of  prayer,  I  found  a  peculiar  tenderness  in  pray- 
ing for  these  unenlightened  people.*' 

October  31. — "Passed  a  very  populous  village, 
called  Jungipore." — 

"Stopped  at  night  again  in  a  desert  place.  Em- 
ployed as  yesterday.  Moonshee  said,  'How  can 
you  prove  this  book  (putting  his  hand  on  the  Gos- 
pel) to  be  the  word  of  God?'  I  took  him  to  walk 
with  me  on  the  shore,  that  we  might  discuss  the 
matter;  and  the  result  of  our  conversation  Avas, 
that  I  discovered  that  the  Mussulmen-  allow  the 
Gospel  to  be,  in  general,  the  command  of  God, 
though  the  words  of  it  are  not  His  as  the  words  of 
the  Koran  are;  and  contend  that  the  actual  words 


REV.  HENRY  MARTYN.  207 

of  God  given  to  Jesus  were  burnt  by  the  Jews — 
that  they  also  admit  the  New  Testament  to  have 
been  in  force  till  the  coming  of  Mahomet.  When 
I  quoted  some  passages  which  proved  this  to  be 
the  final  dispensation,  he  allowed  it  to  be  of  course 
inconsistent  with  the  divinity  of  the  Koran,  but 
said,  'then  those  words  of  the  Gospel  must  be 
false.'  The  man  argued,  and  asked  his  questions 
seemingly  in  earnest;  and  another  new  impression 
was  left  upon  my  mind,  that  those  men  are  not 
fools,  and  that  all  ingenuity  and  clearness  of  rea- 
soning are  not  confined  to  England  and  Europe. 
I  seem  to  feel  that  these  descendants  of  Ham  are 
as  dear  to  God  as  the  haughty  sons  of  Japheth:  I 
feel,  too,  more  at  home  with  the  Scriptures  than 
ever:  every  thing  I  see  gives  light  to,  and  receives 
it  from,  the  Scriptures.  I  seem  transported  back 
to  the  ancient  times  of  the  Israelites  and  the 
Apostles." 

"My  spirit  felt  composed,  after  the  dispute,  by 
simply  looking  to  God  as  one  who  had  engaged  to 
support  his  own  cause:  and  I  saw  it  to  be  my 
part  to  pursue  my  way  through  the  wilderness  of 
this  world,  looking  only  to  that  redemption  which 
daily  draweth  nigh.  The  same  thoughts  continued 
through  the  evening.  I  reflected,  while  looking  at 
the  stream  gliding  by,  the  smooth  current  of  which 
shewed  its  motion  only  by  the  moon  shining  upon 
it,  that  all  alike  are  carried  down  the  stream  of 
time — that  in  a  few  years,  there  will  be  another 


208  Mi:MOiR  OF 

generation  of  Hindoos,  Miissulmen,  and  English  in 
this  country:  we  are  now  bi>t  just  speaking  to  one 
another  as  we  are  passing  along.  How  should  this 
consideration  quell  the  tumult  of  anger  and  impa- 
tience, when  I  cannot  convince  men.  O  how  feeble 
an  instrument  must  a  creature  so  short-sighted 
be.  How  necessary  is  it  that  God  should  be  con- 
tinually raising  up  new  instruments;  and  how  easily 
can  he  do  it — 'the  government  is  on  his  shoulders.' 
Jesus  is  able  to  bear  the  weight  of  it;  therefore,  we 
need  not  be  oppressed  with  care  or  fear:  but  a  Mis- 
sionary is  apt  to  fancy  himself  an  Atlas." 

November  1. — "Employed  all  day  in  translating 
the  third  chapter  of  the  Acts.  Came-to  at  a  place 
where  there  was  no  house.  For  the  first  time  since 
arriving  in  Bengal,  saw  some  hills  appearing  in  the 
N.  W." 

November  2. — Sunday.  "My  mind  was  greatly 
oppressed,  that  I  had  done  and  was  doing  nothing  in 
the  way  of  distributing  tracts.  To  free  my  con- 
science from  the  charge  of  unprofitableness  and  neg- 
lect, I  wished  to  go  ashore  in  the  middle  of  the  day, 
wherever  I  thought  I  might  meet  people;  but  did 
not  land  till  we  came-to  on  the  bank  of  the  Ganges, 
which  we  entered  just  before  sun-set.  Hills  ap- 
peared from  S.  W.  to  N.  W.  Some  of  these  were 
the  Rajemabl  hills.  Walking  on  shore,  I  met  with 
a  very  large  party;  and  entering  into  conversa- 
tion, I  asked  if  any  of  them  could  read.     One  young 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  209 

man  who  seemed  superior  in  rank  to  the  rest,  said 
*he  could' — and  accordingly  read  some  of  the  only 
Nagree  tract  that  I  had.  I  then  addressed  myself 
boldly  to  them;  and  told  them  of  the  Gospel. — ■ 
When  speaking  of  the  inefhcacy  of  the  religious 
practices  of  the  Hmdoos,  I  mentioned,  as  an  exam- 
ple, the  repetition  of  the  name  of  Ram.  The 
young  man  assented  to  this;  and  said,  of  what  use  is 
it?  As  he  seemed  to  be  of  a  pensive  turn,  and  said 
this  with  marks  of  disgust,  I  gave  him  a  Nagree  Tes- 
tament— the  first  I  have  given.  May  God's  bless- 
ing go  along  with  it;  and  cause  the  eyes  of  multi- 
tudes to  be  opened!  The  men  said  they  should  be 
glad  to  receive  tracts;  so  I  sent  them  back  a  con- 
siderable number  by  the  young  man.  The  idea  of 
printing  the  Parables,  in  proper  order,  with  a  short 
explanation  subjoined  to  each,  for  the  purpose  of 
distribution,  and  as  school-books,  suggested  itself  to 
me  to-night,  and  delighted  me  prodigiously." 

November  3. — "Crossed  the  river,  in  order  to 
get  to  Chandry.  But,  the  wind  growing  very 
strong,  we  were  obliged  to  come-to  by  the  sand- 
bank. Began  my  work  of  writing  a  few  remarks  on 
one  of  the  Parables.  Finished  'Sale's  Preliminary 
Discourse  to  the  Koran,'  and  read  the  Ramavuna. 
Arrived  at  Chandry,  and  found  *  =^  *  and  *  *  *. 
Walked  with  them  over  some  of  the  ruins  of  Gour; 
a  mosque,  Avhich  was  still  standing  entire,  was  in- 
deed worth  seeing.  We  observed  several  monkies, 
and  the  print  of  a  tiger's  foot. 


210  MEMOIR    OF 

November  4. — "After  officiating  at  morning  wor- 
ship, I  went  up  with  my  friends  in  a  boat  to  GomaUy 
— stopping  bj  the  way  to  visit  one  of  their  schools 
at  Miidypore,"*  w4iich  much  dehghted  me.  The 
little  boys  seated  cross-legged  on  the  ground  all 
round  the  room,  read  some  of  the  New  Testament 
to  us.  While  they  displayed  their  powers  of  read- 
ing, their  fathers  and  mothers  crowded  in  great 
numbers  round  the  doors." 

November  5. — "Received  letters  from  Mr. 
Brown,  Corrie,  and  Parsons,  which  much  revived 
me.  At  evening  worship,  discoursed  from  Isa.  Ixiii,  1. 
My  soul  continued  sweetly  engaged  with  God; 
though  the  praises  of  the  people  of  Calcutta  were 
in  some  degree  an  interruption  of  that  sweet  peace, 
which  is  only  to  be  found  in  being  nothing  before 
God." 

November  7. — "This  morning,  after  speaking  on 
Acts  XX,  32,  I  took  my  leave;  and  with  Mr.  *  *  * 
went  in  palanquins  to  Massamgung.  Frequently 
cast  down  to-day.  From  want  of  diligent  employ- 
ment, my  thoughts  had  time  to  wander  in  search  of 
some  earthly  good;  but  I  found  that  recollection  of 
what  I  deserved  at  the  hands  of  God  restored  me  to 
greater  peace." 

November  8. — "Early  this  morning  reached  Ra- 
jemahl,  and  walked  to  view  the  remains  of  its  an- 
cient splendor.     Gave  a  tract  or  two  to  a  Brahmin: 

•  Here  are  tliirteen  or  fo'irteen  village  schools,  and  in  consequence  a 
marked  progress  in  civilizaLiou. 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  21  1 

but  the  Dak  Moonshee,  a  Mussulman,  when  he  re- 
ceived one  of  the  Hlncloostanee  tracts,  and  found 
what  it  was,  was  greatly  alarmed;  and,  after  many 
awkward  apologies,  returned  it,  saying,  that  'a  man 
who  had  his  legs  in  two  different  boats  was  in  dan- 
ger of  sinking  between  them.'  Went  on,  much  dis- 
couraged at  the  suspicion  and  rebulTs  I  meet  with — 
or  rather  'pained;  for  I  feel  not  the  less  determined 
to  use  every  effort  to  give  the  people   the  Gospel. 

0  that  the  Lord  would  pour  out  upon  them  a  spirit 
of  deep  concern  for  their  souls! — In  a  w^alk,  at  Raje- 
mahl,  met  some  of  the  Hill  people.  Wrote  down 
from  their  mouth  some  of  the  names  of  thing-s. — 
From  their  appearance,  they  seem  connected  with 
the  Hottentots  and  Chinese.  Passed  the  day  in 
correcting  Acts,  chap,  iii,  with  Moonshee.  At  nighty 
walked  with  Mr.  G.  into  a  village,  where  Ave  met 
with  some  more  of  the  Hill  people.  With  one  of 
them,  who  was  a  Manghee,  or  chief  of  one  of  the 
hills,  I  had  some  conversation  in  Hindoostanee;  and 
told  him  that  wicked  men,  after  death,  go  to  a  place 
of  fire;  and  good  men,  above  to  God.  The  former 
struck  him  exceedingly.  He  asked  again,  'what? 
do  they  go  to  a  place  of  great  pain  and  fire?'  These 
people,  he  said,  sacrifice  oxen,  goats,  pigeons,  &;c. 

1  asked  him,  if  he  knew  what  this  was  for,  and  then 
explained  the  design  of  sacrifices;  and  told  him  of 
the  Great  Sacrifice — but  he  did  not  seem  to  under- 
stand me,  and  continued  pensive  after  hearing  that 
wicked  men  go  to  hell.     He  asked  us,  with  great 


212  aiEMOlR    OF 

kindness  to  have  some  of  his  wild  honey;  which  was 
the  only  thing  he  had  to  offer.  How  surprising  is 
the  universal  prevalence  of  sacrifices!  This  cir- 
cumstance will,  perhaps,  be  made  use  of  for  the 
universal  conversion  of  the  nations.  How  desirable 
that  some  Missionary  should  go  among  these  people! 
No  prejudices — none  of  the  detestable  pride  and 
Felf-righteousness  of  their  neighbors  in  the  plains." 
November  9. — "Pa:^sed  this  Sabbath  rather  un- 
comfortably. With  Mr.  ^  *  *,  I  read  several  por- 
tions of  the  sacred  Scriptures,  and  prayed  in  the 
afternoon.  We  reached  Siclj  gully,  a  point  where 
the  Rajemahl  hills  jut  out  into  the  Ganges.  It  was 
a  romantic  spot.  We  went  ashore,  and  ascended 
an  eminence  to  look  at  the  ruins  of  a  mosque.  The 
grave  and  room  over  it  of  a  Mussulman  warrior, 
killed  in  battle,  were  in  perfect  preservation;  and 
lamps  are  lighted  there  still  every  night.  We  saw 
a  few  more  of  the  Hill  people;  one  of  whom  had  a 
bow  and  arrows;  they  were  in  a  hurry  to  be  gone; 
and  w^ent  off,  men,  women,  and  children,  into  their 
native  woods.  As  I  was  entering  the  boat,  I  hap- 
pened to  touch  with  my  stick  the  brass  pot  of  one 
of  the  Hindoos,  in  w^hich  rice  was  boiling.  So  de- 
filed are  we  in  their  sight,  that  the  pollution  passed 
from  my  hand,  through  the  stick  and  the  brass,  to 
the  meat.  He  rose  and  threw  it  all  away. — We 
read  together  at  night  an  excellent  sermon  on 
2  Cor.  V,  1." 


REV.     HENRY     MARTYR'.  213 

November  10. — "Employed  most  all  the  day  in 
finishing  the  correction  of  the  third  of  the  Acts. 
with  Moonshee,  and  in  writing:  on  some  of  the  Par- 
ables.— Went  on  the  North  side  of  the  river,  and 
set  Mr.  G.  ashore,  and  walked  with  him  to  a  nulla, 
expecting  to  find  his  boat;  but  it  not  being  there, 
we  were  obliged  to  walk  back  by  night.  Happily 
we  procured  a  torch  in  a  village  near,  and  were 
thus  preserved  from  the  wild  buifaloes,  whose  re- 
cent footsteps  in  the  path  gave  us  no  small  alarm. 
I  am  constantly  preserved  through  the  good  provi- 
dence of  the  Lord.  Employed  in  lessons  of  Per- 
sian, writing  and  reading  Ramavuna." 

November  11. — "This  morning,  after  prayer,  Mr. 
G.  took  his  leave.  I  returned  to  my  work  without 
interruption,  with  no  small  delight.  The  thought 
occurred  to  my  mind  very  strongly — how  much  have 
I  to  learn  of  divine  things,  if  the  Lord  will  be 
pleased  to  teach  me.  I  want,  above  all,  a  meek, 
serious,  resigned,  Christ-like  spirit.  May  I  have 
grace  to  live  above  every  human  motive;  simply 
with  God,  and  to  God;  and  not  swayed,  especially 
in  the  Mission  work,  by  the  opinions  of  people  not 
acquainted  with  the  state  of  things,  whose  judg- 
ment may  be  contrary  to  my  own.  But  it  is  a  mat- 
ter of  no  small  difficulty  to  keep  one's  eye  from 
wandering  to  the  Church  in  Calcutta  and  England." 

November  12. — "Employed  all  the  day  in  trans- 
lating, in  which  work  the  time  passes  away  pleas- 
antly and  rapidlv- — The  cold  mornings  and  even- 
2^ 


214  MEMOIR   OF 

ings  begin  to  be  very  severe.  Though  the  ther- 
mometer was  only  down  to  61^,  I  should  have  been 
glad  of  a  fire.  It  was  81^  in  the  middle  of  the  day. 
We  passed  this  day  out  of  Bengal  into  Bahar." 

November  13. — "This  morning  we  passed  Col- 
gong.  I  went  ashore,  and  had  a  long  conversation 
with  two  men.  As  I  approached  more  and  more 
to  religion,  they  were  the  more  astonished;  and 
when  I  mentioned  the  day  of  judgment,  they  looked 
at  each  other  in  the  utmost  wonder,  with  a  look 
that  expressed,  'how  should  he  know  any  thing 
about  that.'  I  felt  some  satisfaction  in  finding  my- 
self pretty  well  understood  in  what  I  said;  but  they 
could  not  read;  and  no  people  came  near  us,  and  so 
I  had  the  grief  of  leaving  this  place  without  sup- 
plying it  with  one  ray  of  light.  I  was  much  bur- 
dened with  a  consciousness  of  blood-guiltiness;  and 
though  I  cannot  doubt  of  my  pardon  by  the  blood 
of  Christ,  yet  how  dreadful  the  reflection,  that  any 
should  perish  who  might  have  been  saved  by  my 
exertions.  Looking  round  this  country,  and  reflect- 
ing upon  its  state,  is  enough  to  overwhelm  the  mind 
of  a  Minister  or  Missionary.  When  once  my  mouth 
is  opened,  how  shall  I  ever  dare  to  be  silent? — Em- 
ployed as  yesterday.  At  night  met  some  boatmen 
on  the  bank,  and  a  Fakir  with  them.  I  talked  a 
good  deal,  and  some  things  they  understood.  The 
Fakir's  words  I  could  scarcely  understand.  As  he 
said  he  could  read,  and  promised  to  read  a  Testa- 
ment, I  gave  him  one,  and  several  tracts." 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  219 

November  14. — "Employed  In  writing  out  the 
Parables.  Walked  through  a  poor  village  in  the 
evening,  where  there  were  nothing  but  women  and 
children,  Avho  all  ran  away  when  they  saw  me, 
except  one  poor  old  woman  who  was  ill,  and  begged. 
Though  she  spoke  clearly  enough,  I  could  scarcely 
understand  one  of  her  words;  so  that  I  have  quite 
a  new  language  to  learn.  When  she  received  half 
a  rupee,  she  was  mute  v/ith  astonishment  for  a  time, 
and  at  last  said  Chula  (good.) — The  name  of  the 
place  was  Nuckanpour." 

November  15. — "Morning  spent  on  the  Parables. 
Afterwards  with  Moonshee,  correcting  Acts  iv. 
The  boat  stopping  in  the  afternoon  a  short  time,  I 
went  into  a  vilk^ge;  and  finding  a  genteel  looking 
Hindoo,  smoking  his  hooker,  I  sat  down  with  him; 
and  a  few  people  gathered  round.  But  the  old  man, 
who  had  been  a  soldier,  talked  so  incessantly  about 
his  campaigns,  that  I  found  no  good  would  come  if 
I  did  not  interrupt  him,  and  introduce  religion. 
From  having  been  much  with  the  English,  he  had 
more  enlarged  views  than  most  of  the  Hindoos,  and 
talked  like  a  Mussulman — that  all  were  of  one  cast 
before  God — that  there  would  be  a  day  of  judg- 
ment— and  that  there  was  only  one  God.  While  I 
endeavored  to  make  him  comprehend  the  nature  of 
the  death  of  Christ,  he  said,  'ah,  that  is  your  Shas- 
ter' — so,  never  was  any  effort  more  ineffectual.  In 
the  bazar,  I  stood  and  asked  if  any  one  could  read 
Nagree.     There  was  only  one  who  could,  and  he 


2!6  MEMOIR    OF 

took  a  tract;  about  ten  others  were  taken  also.  I 
suffered  greatly  from  dejection  most  of  the  evening* 
But  the  Lord  graciously  came  in  the  time  of  need, 
and  supported  my  sinking  faith.  'The  Lord  reign- 
eth,  and  the  people  shall  remember  and  turn  to  the 
Lord.'  "— 

Nov.  16.~Sunday. — "Generally  in  a  solemn  ten- 
der spirit.  Spent  the  first  half  of  the  day  in  read- 
ing the  Scripture  and  prayer.  Many  a  word  was 
brought  home  with  abundance  of  consolation  to  my 
soul.  'Though  1  walk  through  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil,  for  thou  art 
with  me — thy  rod  and  thy  staff  they  comfort  me.' 
When  do  the  sheep  find  the  happiness  of  having  a 
shepherd  so  much  as  when  they  are  walking  through 
a  dark  shadow.  While  Jesus  lets  me  see  his  'rod 
and  staff,'  I  am  comforted. — In  the  afternoon,  read 
some  French  sermons.  Walked  in  the  evening  to 
a  poor  village,  where  I  only  produced  terror.  One 
man  whom  I  at  last  met,  told  me  that  none  could 
read  in  the  village,  but  a  Brahmin;  and  he  was 
gone  to  another  town.  I  left  two  tracts  for  him, 
and  told  the  man  to  be  sure  and  give  them  to  him 
when  he  came  back.  The  man  was  in  no  small 
alarm  at  this,  but  asked  only  where  I  got  them. — 
Distressed  at  times — I  fear  that  I  am  not  acting 
faithfully  in  warning  those  around  me.  -  But  the 
shortest  way  to  peace,  Is  to  pray  for  a  broken  heart, 
and  submissive  spirit:  by  this  means,  my  mind 
brightened  up.— At  night,  was  deeply  affected  about 


REY.    MENRY    BIARTYN.  217 

my  two  dear  sisters:  and  felt  the  bowels  of  affec- 
tion yearn  over  them:  who  knows  what  they  have 
been  suffering  all  this  while.  For  my  poor  elder 
sister,  I  interceded  that  she  might  be  saved." 

Nov.  17. — "Early  this  morning  they  set  me  ashore, 
to  see  a  hot  spring.  A  great  number  of  Brahmins 
and  Fakirs  were  there.  Not  being  able  to  under- 
stand them,  I  gave  away  tracts.  Many  followed 
me  to  the  budgerow,  where  I  gave  away  more 
tracts,  and  some  Testaments,  Arrived  at  Monghir 
about  noon.  In  the  evening  some  came  to  me  for 
books;  and,  among  them,  those  who  had  travelled 
from  the  spring,  having  heard  the  report  that  I  was 
giving  away  copies  of  the  Ramayuna.  They  would 
not  believe  me  when  I  told  them  that  it  was  not 
the  Ramayuna;  I  gave  them  six  or  eight  more.  In 
the  morning,  tried  to  translate  with  Moonshee  one 
of  the  Nagree  papers." 

Nov.  18. — "A  man  followed  the  budgerow  along 
the  walls  of  the  fort;  and,  finding  an  opportunity, 
got  on  board  with  another,  begging  for  a  book — 
not  believing  but  that  it  was  the  Ramayuna.  As  I 
hesitated,  having  given  as  many  as  I  could  spare  for 
one  place,  he  prostrated  himself  to  the  earth,  and 
placed  his  for-ehead  in  the  dust;  at  which  I  felt  an 
indescribable  horror.  I  gave  them  each  a  Testa- 
ment. Employed  in  writing  on  the  Parables,  and 
translating.  In  the  evening  met  with  two  villagers, 
and  finding  they  could  read,  I  brought  them  to  the 


218  MEMOIR    OF 

boat,  and  gave  them  each  a  Testament  and  some 
tracts." 

Nov.  19. — "Employed  in  the  translating  of  Para- 
bles, all  the  day.  Finished  the  first  book  of  the 
Ramayuna.  Came-to  at  a  desert  place  on  the  North 
side;  where,  in  my  walk  I  met  with  a  man  with 
whom  I  conversed;  but  we  could  understand  each 
other  but  very  little.  To  a  boy  with  him,  who 
could  read,  I  gave  some  tracts.  Felt  extraordinarily 
•wearied  Avith  my  labor  these  two  or  three  last  days; 
and  should  have  been  glad  of  some  refreshing  con- 
versation." 

Nov.  20 — 22.-"Employments — the  same,  through- 
out, these  three  days — finished  the  sixth  of  Acts. 
Stopped  each  night  at  sand-banks." 

Nov.  23. — Sunday.  "Spent  the  day  comfortably 
and  solemnly,  in  reading  and  prayer.  But  my  con- 
science was  grievously  wounded  in  the  evening,  at 
the  recollection  of  having  omitted  opportunities  of 
leaving  the  word  of  God  at  a  place.  Yet  will  I 
adore  the  blessed  Spirit  that  he  departs  not,  nor 
suffers  my  conscience  to  be  benumbed.  What  a 
wretched  life  shall  I  lead,  if  I  do  not  exert  myself 
from  morning  till  night  in  a  place,  where  through 
whole  territories,  I  seem  to  be  the  only  light." 

Nov.  24. — ''Employed  in  writing  on  a  Parable  all 
day.  In  my  evening  walk,  finding  an  old.  Brahmin 
at  w^ork  in  the  fields,  I  began  to  ask  him  how  he,  'a 
Brahmin,  was  obliged  to  work.'  He  concluded  his 
answer,  by  saying,  that  we  English  had  robbed 


REV.   HtNRY   BIARTYN.  219 

them  of  their  country.  He  was,  for  a  considerable 
time,  very  violent;  but  another  Brahmin,  in  some 
fright,  coming  up,  made  all  up  as  he  thought  by 
speaking  of  the  brave  English,  &c.  When  I  began 
to  talk  to  them  of  the  day  of  judgment,  heaven,  and 
hell,  they  seemed  surprised  and  pleased,  and  gave 
great  attention.  But  I  have  never  had  reason  to 
believe,  that  the  attention  of  the  people  to  any  thing 
I  have  to  say,  is  more  than  respect  for  a  'Sahib.' 
They  never  ask  a  question  about  it,  and  probably 
do  not  understand  one-half,  when  my  sentences  are 
correct.  The  disaffection  of  the  people  gave  rise 
afterwards  to  many  reflections  in  my  mind  on  what 
may  be  my  future  sufferings  in  this  country:  but,  in 
proportion  to  the  apparent  causes  of  depression, 
did  my  faith  and  triumph  in  the  Lord  seem  to  rise. 
Come  what  will — let  me  only  be  found  in  the  path 
of  duty,  and  nothing  shall  be  wrong.  Be  my  suf- 
ferings what  they  may,  they  cannot  equal  those  of 
my  Lord,  nor  probably  even  those  of  his  Apostles 
and  early  Martyrs.  They,  'through  faith  subdued 
kingdoms,  wrought  righteousness,  out  of  weakness  i/ 
were  made  strong,'  &c.;  and  why  shall  I  not  hopo^ 
that  I,  who  am  indeed  like  one  born  out  of  due  time,  ' 
shall  receive  strength  too  according  to  my  day." 

Nov.  25.— "Reached  Patna  this  afternoon — walk- 
ed about  this  future  scene  of  my  ministry  with  a 
spirit  almost  overwhelmed  at  the  sight  of  the  im- 
mense multitudes.  There  w^as  a  Rajah  sitting  at 
th6>  door  of  his  tent  by  the  water  side.     Came  to 


220  MEMOIR    OF 

the  budgerow  at  night  ill  with  a  head-ache,  and  still 
more  weak  and  feeble  in  faith.  Pain  in  the  head 
continued  acute  all  night." 

NoY.  26. — '-The  multitudes  on  the  water  side 
prodigious.  Arrived,  in  the  afternoon,  at  Dinapore; 
but  did  not  go  ashore.  Employed  in  translating 
and  writing  on  Parables.  My  spirit  this  evening 
was  sweetly  elevated  beyond  the  people  and  the 
concerns  of  this  world, — while  meditating  on  the 
Avords  'I  am  the  Almighty  God;  walk  before  me, 
and  be  thou  perfect.' " 

On  reaching  Dinapore,  which  for  a  considerable 
time  was  to  be  his  permanent  residence,  Mr.  Mar- 
tyn's  immediate  objects  were  three-fold:  to  establish 
native  schools — to  attain  such  readiness  in  speaking 
Hindoostanee,  as  might  enable  him  to  preach  in  that 
language  the  Gospel  of  the  grace  of  God — and  to 
prepare  translations  of  the  Scriptures  and  religious 
tracts  for  dispersion.  We  have  already  seen  that 
the  idea  of  translating  the  Parables,  accompanied 
by  some  remarks  upon  them,  had  occupied  his  mind 
during  his  voyage  on  the  Ganges.  At  Dinapore  he 
continued  to  engage  with  the  same  earnestness,  in 
this  employment.  Of  Hindoostanee  he  already 
knew  enough  to  translate  with  grammatical  accu- 
racy; and  his  Moonshee  was  at  hand  to  suggest  the 
proper  idiom;  and  what  in  that  language  is  so  diffi- 
cult— the  just  and  exact  collocation  of  the  words  in 
the  sentences.  The  obstacles  which  he  had  to 
overcome  respecting  the  languages  of  the  country. 


REV.    HENRY     MARTYN.  221 

he  represents  as  formidable.  Passing  out  of  Bengal 
into  Bahar,  he  found  that  he  had  to  acquaint  himself 
with  the  Baharree,  as  well  as  the  Hlndoostanee;  and 
the  Baharree  had  its  various  dialects  "I  am  low 
spirited,"  he  said  soon  after  reaching  Dinapore,j 
"about  my  work;  I  seem  to  be  at  a  stand,  not 
knowing  what  course  to  take."  From  the  Pundit 
whom  he  employed,  he  learned,  though  the  state- 
ment was  probably  exaggerated,  that  every  four  kos 
(miles)  the  language  changes;  and  by  the  specimens 
he  gave  of  a  sentence  in  the  dialects  across  the 
water  at  Gyah,  and  some  other  places,  they  appear- 
ed to  differ  so  much,  that  a  book  in  the  dialect  of 
one  district,  would  be  unintelligible  to  the  people  of 
another.  As  the  best  mode  of  acquiring  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  various  Oriental  tongues,  the  study  of 
Sanscrit  was  recommended  to  him  by  his  Pundit — 
and  with  what  spirit  he  labored  in  this  and  other 
pursuits,  may  be  seen  in  his  account  of  the  work  of  a 
single  day. 

"Morning  with  Pundit,  in  Sanscrit.  In  the 
afternoon,  hearing  a  Parable  in  the  Bahar  dialect- 
Continued  till  late  at  mVht  in  wrltlnfr  on  the 
Parables.  My  soul  much  impressed  with  the  un- 
measurable  importance  of  my  work,  and  the  wick- 
edness and  cruelty  of  wasting  a  moment,  when  so 
many  nations  are,  as  it  were,  waiting  till  I  do  my 
work.  Felt  eager  for  the  morning  to  come  again* 
that  I  might  resume  my  work." 
29 


222  MEMOIR    OF 

The  diiiiculties  of  various  kinds  which  presented 
themselves  to  Mr.  Martjn,  could  not  fail  of  being 
a  source  of  pain  to  him,  in  proportion  to  his  fervent 
anxiety  to  benefit  all  around  him.  But  it  was  his 
privilege  and  consolation  to  remember  that  he  was 
in  his  hands,  in  whom  are  "hid  all  the  treasures 
of  wisdom  and  knowledge;  and  with  whom  all 
things  are  possible."  Had  he  not  sought  and 
found  a  refuge  in  the  omnipotence  of  Christ,  soon 
would  be  have  sunk  in  despondency.  To  those 
who  have  not  elevated  their  views  above  the  feeble 
efforts  of  human  agency,  the  conversion  of  the 
Heathen  cannot  but  appear  to  exceed  the  limits  of 
possibility.  Mr.  Martyn,  who  in  England  had  met 
with  many  such  disputers  of  this  world,  found  that 
India  was  by  no  means  destitute  of  them. — A  con- 
versation into  which  he  was  led  with  one  of  these 
characters,  was  painfully  trying  to  him, — -"but  in  the 
multitude  of  my  troubled  thoughts,"  he  said,  "I  still 
saw  there  is  'strong  consolation  in  the  hope  set  be- 
fore us.'  Let  me  labor  for  fifty  years,  amidst  scorn> 
and  without  seeing  one  soul  converted,  still  it  shall 
not  be  worse  for  my  soul  in  eternity,,  nor  even  worse 
for  it  in  time — ^'though  the  heathen  rage,'  and  the 
English  people  'imagine  a  vain  thing,'  the  Lord 
Jesus,  who  controls  all  events,  is  my  Friend — my 
Master — my  God — my  All.  On  this  rock  of  ages* 
on  which  I  feel  my  foot  to  rest,  my  head  is  lifted  up 
above  all  mine  enemies  round  about  me,  and  1  sing* 
yea,  I  will  sing  praises  unto  the  Lord." 


REV.     HENRY     MARTYN.  223 

From  much  of  the  society  Mr.  Martjn  found 
at  Dinapore,  he  received  more  discomfort  than 
disappointment — some  there  were  indeed,  who 
treated  him  from  the  first  with  the  utmost  kind- 
ness— who  afterwards  became  his  joy,  and  who 
one  day  will  assuredly  be  his  crown  of  rejoicing. 
But  before  that  happy  change  in  them  was  efTected 
by  the  power  of  divine  grace,  he  found  none  to 
whom  he  could  fully  and  freely  unbosom  him- 
self. With  what  gladness  and  thankfulness,  there- 
fore, did  he  welcome  the  arrival  of  letters  from  his 
beloved  Christian  friends  at  Calcutta  and  in  England. 
He  speaks  of  bei-ig  exceedingly  comforted  at  re- 
turning home  after  a  melancholy  walk,  and  finding 
letters  from  Mr.  Brown  and  Corrie,  and  on  hearing 
from  two  of  his  friends  in  England,  who  were  as  dear 
to  him  as  he  was  to  them:  "How  sweet,"  he  said, 
after  perusing  these  memorials  of  affection, '*are  the 
delights  of  Christian  friendship;  and  what  must 
heaven  be,  where  there  are  none  but  humble,  kindj 
and  holy  children  of  God:  such  a  society  would  of 
itself  be  a  heaven  to  me,  after  what  I  feel  at  the 
ways  of  worldly  people  here."  Nor  was  it  only 
from  the  neglect,  levity,  and  profaneness  of  many  of 
his  countrymen,  where  he  v/as  stationed,  that  Mr. 
Martyn  was  pained  and  grieved:  his  meek  and  ten- 
der  spirit  was  hurt  likewise  at  the  manner  in  which 
he  conceived  himself  to  be  regarded  by  the  natives: 
by  the  anger  and  contempt  with  which  multitudes 
of  them  eyed  him  in  his  palanquin  at  Patna,  he  was 


224  MEMOIR    OF 

particular! J  affected,  observing  "Here  every  native 
I  meet  is  an  enemy  to  me,  because  I  am  an  English- 
man. England  appears  almost  a  heaven  upon  earth, 
because  there  one  is  not  viewed  as  an  unjust  in- 
truder. But  O  the  heaven  of  my  God — the  'general 
asseml:)ly  of  the  first  born,  the  spirits  of  just  men 
made  perfect,'  and  Jesus!  O  let  me  for  a  little  mo- 
ment labor  and  suffer  reproach!" 

The  observations  he  was  compelled  to  hear  from 
his  Moonshee  and  Pundit,  often  present  a  curious  and 
affecting  display  of  Pagan  and  Mahometan  ignorance. 
"Upon  shewing,"  he  writes,  "the  Moonshee  the  first 
part  of  John  iii,  he  instantly  caught  at  those  words 
of  our  Lord,  in  which  he  first  describes  himself  as 
having  come  down  from  heaven,  and  then  calls  him- 
self the  Son  of  Man  which  is  in  heaven.  He  said 
this  was  what  the  philosophers  called  'nickal,'  or 
impossible— even  for  God  to  make  a  thing  to  be  in 
tw^o  different  places  at  the  same  time.  I  explained 
to  him,  as  soon  as  his  heat  was  a  little  subsided,  that 
the  difficulty  was  not  so  much  in  conceiving  how  the 
Son  of  Man  could  be,  at  the  same  time,  in  two  dif- 
ferent places,  as  in  comprehending  that  union  of  the 
two  natures  in  him,  which  made  this  possible.  I  told 
him,  that  I  could  not  explain  this  union;  but  shewed 
him  the  design  and  wisdom  of  God  in  effecting  our 
redemption  by  this  method.  I  was  much  at  a  loss 
for  words,  but  I  believe  he  collected  my  meaning, 
and  received  some  information  which  he  possessed 
not  before."     In  another  place  he  says,  "in  reading 


REV.     HENRY    MARTYN.  225 

some  parts  of  the  Epistles  of  St.  John  to  my  Moon- 
shee,  he  seemed  to  view  them  with  great  contempt: 
so  far  above  the  wisdom  of  the  world  is  their  divine 
simplicity!  The  Moonshee  told  me,  at  night,  that 
when  the  Pundit  came  to  the  part  about  the  angels 
•separating  the  evil  from  the  good;'  he  said,  with 
some  surprise,  that  there  was  no  such  thing  in  his 
Shaster;  but  that,  at  the  end  of  the  world,  the  sun 
would  come  so  near  as,  first,  to  burn  all  the  men, 
then  the  mountains,  then  the  debtas  (inferior  gods,) 
then  the  waters:  then  God  reducing  himself  to  the 
size  of  a  thumb  nail,  would  swim  on  the  leaf  of  the 
peepul  tree." 

The  commencement  of  Mr.  Martyn's  ministry, 
amongst  the  Europeans  at  Dinapore,  was  not  of 
such  a  kind  as  either  to  gratify  or  encourage  him. 
At  first  he  read  prayers  to  the  soldiers  at  the  bar- 
racks on  tl]e  long-drum,  and  as  there  was  no  place 
for  them  to  sit,  was  desired  to  omit  his  sermon. 

Preparations  being  afterwards  made  for  the  per- 
formance of  divine  service,  with  somewhat  of  that 
order  and  decency  which  becomes  its  celebration, 
the  resident  families  at  Dinapore  assembled  on  the 
Sabbath,  and  attended  Mr.  Martyn's  ministry.  By 
many  of  these,  offence  was  taken  at  his  not  reading 
to  them  a  written  sermon,  and  it  was  by  letter  inti- 
mated to  him,  that  it  was  their  wish  that  he  should 
desist  from  extempore  preaching.  At  such  an  inter- 
ference on  the  part  of  his  flock,  he  confesses  that 
he  was  at  first  roused  into  anger  and  displeasure — 


'226  ZVIE3I0IR  cr 

he  could  not  but  think  that  the  people  committed 
to  his  charge,  had  forgotten  the  relation  which  sub- 
sisted between  him  and  them,  in  dictating  to  him 
the  mode  in  which  they  thought  proper  to  be  ad- 
dressed: on  mature  reflection,  however,  he  resolved 
upon  compliance,  for  the  sake  of  conciliation: — say- 
ing, "that  he  would  give  them  a  folio  sermon  book, 
if  they  would  receive  the  word  of  God  on  that  ao- 
count." 

Whilst  the  flock  at  Dinapore  were  thus  overstep- 
ping the  limits  of  respect  and" propriety,  Mr.  Mar- 
tyn  was  informed,  that  one  of  his  brethren  at  Cal- 
cutta, was  about  to  transgress  the  rules  of  Chris- 
tian charity  very  grievously,  in  JDublishing  one  of 
those  pulpit  invectives  which  had  been  fulminated 
against  him  on  his  arrival  at  Calcutta.  Such  an  act 
in  a  brother  chaplain  would,  in  some  minds,  have 
excited  vindictive  feelings.  In  his,  the  chief  excite- 
ment was  a  discomposure,  arising  from  an  appre- 
hension, that  he  might  be  compelled  to  undertake  a 
public  refutation  of  this  attack  on  his  doctrines — an 
undertakinof   which  would  consume  much  of  that 

o 

precious  time  which  he  wished  wholly  to  devote  to 
his  Missionary  work. 

Thus  terminated  the  year  1806 — on  the  last  day 
of  which,  Mr.  Martyn  appears  to  have  been  much 
engaged  in  praj^er  and  profitable  meditation  on  the 
lapse  of  time:  feeling  communion  with  the  saints  of 
God  in  the  world,  whose  minds  were  turned  to  the 
consideration  of  those  awful  things,  which  cannot 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  227 

but  be  suggested  to  a  reflecting  mind  bj  a  year  irre- 
coverably past. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  year  1807,  Mr.  Martyn 
was  led  to  the  folloAving  reflection,  from  whence  we 
perceive,  that  it  is  the  work  of  the  self-same  spirit 
to  convince  the  soul  of  sin,  to  constrain  it  to  unre- 
served obedience,  and  to  fill  it  with  unutterable  con- 
solation. 

"Seven  years  have  passed  away  since  I  was  first 
called  of  God.  Before  the  conclusion  of  another 
seven  years,  how  probable  that  these  hands  will 
have  mouldered  into  dust!  But  be  it  so:  my  soul 
through  grace  hath  received  the  assurance  of  eter- 
nal life,  and  I  see  the  days  of  my  pilgrimage  short- 
eaing,  without  a  wish  to  add  to  their  number.  But 
O  may  I  be  stirred  up  to  a  farther  discharge  of  my 
high  and  awful  work,  and  laying  aside,  as  much  as 
may  be,  all  carnal  cares  and  studies,  may  I  give  my- 
self to  this  'one  thing.'  The  last  has  been  a  year 
to  be  remembered  by  me,  because  the  Lord  has^ 
brought  me  safely  to  India,  and  permitted  me  to  be- 
gin, ia  one  sense,  my  Missionary  work.  My  trials 
in  it  have  been  very  few;  every  thing  has  turned 
out  better  than  I  expected;  loving  kindnesses  and 
tender  mercies  have  attended  me  every  step:  there- 
fore, here,  will  I  sing  his  praise.  I  have  been  an 
unprofitable  servant,  but  the  Lord  hath  not  cut  me 
oiT:  I  have  been  wayward  and  perverse,  yet  he 
hath  brought  me  further  on  the  way  to  Zion:  here 
then,  with  sevenfold  gratitude  and  affection,  would 


228  MEMOIR  OP 

I  stop,  and  devote  myself  to  the  blissCul  service  ol 
my  adorable  Lord.  May  he  continue  his  patience, 
his  grace,  his  directions,  his  spiritual  influences,  and 
I  shall  at  last  surely  come  off  conqueror!  May  he 
speedily  open  my  mouth,  to  make  known  the  mys- 
teries of  the  Gospel,  and  in  great  mercy  grant,  that 
the  Heathen  may  receive  it  in  great  mercy  and 
live!" 

The  commencement  of  the  new  year  was  devot- 
ed, by  Mr.  Martyn,  to  the  work  which  v\^as  still  be- 
fore him,  translating  and  commenting  on  the  Para- 
blies,  as  well  as  to  the  attainment  of  the  Sanscrit. 
Sustained  by  the  hope  of  future  usefulness,  he  ex- 
perienced much  pleasure,  not  only  in  urging  his 
toilsome  way  through  the  rudiments  of  that  lan- 
guage, but  even  when  he  appeared,  notwithstanding 
every  exertion,  to  be  making  no  sensible  progress  in 
it.  ''Employed,"  he  says,  one  day,  in  the  month  of 
January,  1807, — "Morning  and  evening  in  Sanscrit 
Grammar,  and  in  the  afternoon,  in  translating  the 
Parables.  Though  I  scarcely  stirred  in  Sanscrit, 
yet  by  keeping  myself  steady  to  the  work,  I  had 
much  comfort  in  my  soul,  and  this  day,  like  all 
others,  fled  swiftly  away." 

To  these  employments  he  added  another  also, 
the  translation  into  Hindoostanee  of  those  parts  of 
the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  which  are  most  fre- 
quently used.  This  project,  when  it  first  occurred 
to  him,  so  arrested  his  mind,  that  he  instantly  began 
to  translate,  and  proceeded  as  far  as  the  end  of  the 


RET.    HENRY   MARTYJ?.  229 

Te  Deum:  fearing,  however,  as  it  was  the  Sabbath, 
that  such  an  employment  might  not  be  in  perfect 
harmony  with  the  sacred  solemnity  of  that  day,  in- 
asmuch as  it  was  not  strictly  of  a  devotional  kind, 
he  desisted  from  making  further  progress — so  deep 
was  his  reverence  for  a  divine  appointment — so 
jealous  his  fear  of  offending  his  God!  After  passing, 
therefore,  the  remainder  of  the  day  in  reading  the 
holy  Scriptures,  and  singing  praises  to  the  Lord,  he 
closed  it  with  these  reflections: — "O  how  shall  I 
sufficiently  praise  my  God,  that  here  in  this  solitude, 
with  people  enough  indeed,  but  without  a  saint,  I 
yet  feel  fellowship  with  all  those,  who,  in  every 
place,  call  on  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
I  see  myself  travelling  on  with  them,  and  I  hope  I 
shall  worship  with  them  in  his  courts  above!" 

These  peculiar  studies,  as  well  as  the  conversa- 
tion which  Mr.  Martyn  held  frequently  with  the 
natives,  (for  w^hich  purpose  he  went  about  without 
his  palanquin,)  were  regarded  by  many  with  a 
mixture  of  jealousy,  fear,  and  contempt.  Did  he 
so  much  as  speak  to  a  native,  it  was  enough  to  ex- 
cite wonder  and  alarm:  nor  is  this  a  matter  of  sur- 
prise, when  we  consider,  that  all  love  for  the  soul, 
and  all  fear  of  God,  are  as  certainly  absent  and 
inoperative  in  worldly  characters,  as  the  love  of 
pleasure  and  fear  of  man  are  present  and  predomi- 
nant. And  if,  in  ordinary  circumstances,  such  a  line 
of  conduct  as  Mr.  Martyn  adopted  in  India,  was 
calculated  to  awaken  the  apprehensions  of  those 
30 


230  MEMOIR    OF 

who  lived  chiefly  for  this  world; — at  this  particular 
juncture  it  was  more  likely  to  be  attended  with 
these  eiTects.  For  just  at  this  time,  the  settlement 
Avas  brought  into  some  consternation  by  hearing  of 
the  sudden  arrival  of  twelve  thousand  Mahrattas  in 
the  neighborhood: — of  which  event,  the  alarmists 
at  Dinapore  might  be  ready  to  take  advantage,  and 
endeavor,  in  some  way  or  other,  to  connect  it  with 
Mr.  Martyn's  plans  respecting  the  conversion  of  the 
natives  to  Christianity.  These  troops,  however,  had 
other  objects  than  what  the  wakeful  fear  of  some 
persons  might  have  assigned  them;  their  .destina- 
tion being  simply  to  attend  one  of  their  chiefs  on  a 
pilgrimage  to  Benares. 

Religious  discussions  between  Mr.  Martyn,  his 
Moonshee,  and  Pundit,  were  almost  of  daily  occur- 
rence, and  as  they  serve  to  throAV  light  on  his  char- 
acter, as  well  as  on  that  of  those  with  whom  a 
Missionary  must  be  conversant  in  India,  it  may  be 
useful  to  refer  again  to  what  his  Journals  contain  on 
this  head. 

"Long  disputes  with  the  Moonshee  on  the  enjoy- 
ments of  heaven:  I  felt  some  mortification  at  not 
having  a  command  of  language.  There  are  a  va- 
riety of  lesser  arguments,  the  force  of  which  consists 
in  their  being  brought  together  in  rapid  succession 
in  conversation;  which  nothing  but  a  command  of 
words  can  enable  one  to  effect.  However,  I  was 
enabled  to  tell  the  Moonshee  one  thing,  that  my 
chief  enjoyment,  even  now  on  earth,  was  the  enjoy- 


REV.  HENRY  MARTYN.  231 

ment  of  God's  presence,  and  a  growing  conformity 
to  him;  and 'therefore,  I  asked,  what  motives  could 
the  promise  of  Houris,  Ghilmas,  green  meadows, 
and  eating  and  drinking  in  paradise,  afford  me.  My 
soul  sweetly  blessed  the  Lord  in  secret,  that  this 
testimony  was  true,  and  O  what  a  change  must  have 
been  wrought  in  me!" 

Jan.  16. — "Employed  at  the  Sanscrit — in  the  af- 
ternoon, collecting  idiomatic  phrases  for  the  Para- 
bles. Finished  the  first  Epistle  of  St.  John  with  the 
Moonshee.  I  asked  him  what  he  thought  of  those 
passages  which  so  strongly  express  the  truth  of  the 
Trinity,  and  of  the  Divinity  of  Christ;  he  said  he 
never  would  believe  it,  because  the  Koran  had  de- 
clared it  sinful  to  say  that  God  had  any  son.  I  told 
him  that  he  ought  to  pray,  that  God  would  teach 
liim  what  the  truth  really  is.  He  said  he  had  no 
occasion  to  pray  on  this  subject,  as  the  word  of  God 
was  express.  I  asked  him  whether  some  doubt 
ought  not  to  arise  in  his  mind,  whether  the  Koran 
was  the  word  of  God.  He  grew  angry;  and  I  felt 
hurt  and  vexed.  I  should  have  done  better  to  have 
left  the  words  of  the  chapter  with  him,  without 
saying  any  thing.  I  went  also  too  far  with  the  Pundit, 
m  arguing  against  his  superstitions;  for  he  also  grew^ 
angry.  Ifcinif  qualijication  seems  necessary  to  a  Mis- 
sionary in  India^  it  is  wisdom  operating  in  the  rcgida- 
iion  of  the  temper,  and  improvement  of  opportunitieg,"^^ 

"Dictating  to  day  the  ^explanation  of  a  parable  to 
the  Moonshee,  I  had  occasion  to  give  the  proofs  of 


23^  MEMOIR  OF 

the  corruption  of  human  nature,  and  drew  the  con- 
clusion that,  hence,  till  our  hearts  are  changed,  we 
are  abominable  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  our  own 
works,  however  useful  to  men,  are  worthless  in  his 
sight.  I  think  I  never  saw  such  a  striking  instance 
of  the  truth  grappling  with  human  nature:  he  seem- 
ed like  a  fish  when  he  first  finds  the  hook  has  hold 
of  him:  he  was  in  a  dreadful  rage,  and  endeavored 
to  escape  from  the  conviction  those  truths  pro- 
duced, but  seemingly  in  vain.  At  last,  recovering 
himself,  he  said,  he  had  a  question  to  ask — which 
was — what  would  become  of  children,  if  the  dispo- 
sition thej  were  born  with,  rendered  them  odious 
in  the  sight  of  God?  I  gave  him  the  best  answer  I 
could,  but  he  considered  it  as  nothing,  because 
founded  on  Scripture;  and  said,  with  great  contempt, 
that  this  was  mere  matter  of  faith,  the  same  sort  of 
thing  as  when  the  Hindoos  believed  the  nonsense  of 
their  Shasters." 

How  delightful  must  it  have  been  to  Mr.  Marty n 
to  turn,  as  he  did  at  this  time,  from  controversies 
with  these  unbelievers,  to  the  enjoyment  of  Chris- 
tian converse  and  communion  with  his  beloved 
friend  and  brother  Mr.  Corrie,  who,  towards  the 
end  of  January,  visited  him,  on  his  way  to  his  sta- 
tion at  Chunar.  Many  a  happy  hour  did  these  ser- 
vants of  Jesus  Christ  then  pass  in  fellowship  one 
with  another,  for  truly  their  fellowship  was  with 
the  Father,  and  with  his  Son  Jesus  Christ: — with 
one  accord  they  often  fell  at  the  feet  of  their  Re- 


REV.  HENRY  MARTYN.  233* 

deemer  in  supplication  and  thanksgiving — they  read 
his  holy  word — they  rejoiced  together  in  its  prom- 
ises— they  spake  to  one  another  of  the  glory  of 
Christ's  kingdom,  and  talked  of  his  power,  and  they 
parted  sorrowfully  indeed,  yet  earnestly  desiring, 
each  to  be  employed  in  his  proper  work.  "Our  com- 
munion," said  Mr.  Martyn,  respecting  this  interview, 
"has  been  refreshing,  at  least  to  me,  and  the  Lord 
has  sanctified  our  meeting  by  his  presence  and  gra- 
cious influences." 

With  respect  to  the  Europeans,  amongst  whom 
Mr.  Martyn  ministered,  he  had  much  reason  to  be 
gratified  by  the  reception  he  met  with  from  those 
whom  he  attended  in  the  hospital:  but  he  had 
equal  cause  to  be  dissatisfied  and  grieved  with  the 
behavior  which  he  witnessed  too  generally,  in  the 
houses  of  the  wealthy: — can  we  be  surprised,  there- 
fore, that  he  should  prefer,  as  he  did,  the  house  of 
mourning,  to  that  of  feasting?  In  vain  did  he  en- 
deavor, amongst  the  upper  ranks,  to  introduce  reli- 
gious topics  into  conversation.  "I  spoke,"  said  he, 
after  visiting  some  of  these,  "several  times  about 
religion  to  them,  but  the  manner  in  which  it  was 
received,  damped  all  farther  attempt.  'Who  hath 
believed  our  report,  and  to  whom  is  the  arm  of  the 
Lord  revealed?'  How  awful  does  the  thought  some- 
times appear  to  me,  that  almost  the  whole  world 
are  united  against  God  and  his  Christ.  O  thou  in- 
jured Sovereign!  O  Lord,  how  long  will  it  be  ere 
thou  plead  thine  own  cause,  and  make  bare  thine 


234  MEMOIR   OF 

arm  in  the  sight  of  the  nations?  Let  me  in  patience 
possess  my  sonl;  and  though  iniquity  abound,  may  I 
never  wax  cold,  but  be  brought  safely  through  all 
this  darkness  and  danger  to  a  happier  world!  To 
thousands  my  word  will,  perhaps,  prove  'a  savor  of 
death  unto  death.'  Let  me  nevertheless  go  on 
steadily  in  the  path  which  the  Lord  has  marked  out: 
perhaps  some  poor  soul  may  be  converted  by  what 
he  shall  hear  from  me;  or,  if  not,  I  shall  have  done 
my  work."  In  such  society,  as  might  be  expected, 
he  found  his  desires  and  endeavors  for  the  conver- 
sion of  the  Heathen  invariably  discountenanced 
and  opposed:  having,  on  one  occasion,  referred  to 
the  Company's  Charter,  as  not  only  permitting,  but 
enjoining  the  communication  of  religious  instruction 
•to  the  natives,  coldness  and  distance,  on  the  part  of 
those  he  was  visiting,  were  the  immediate  conse- 
quence of  his  observations.  But  "his  soul  could 
rejoice  in  God,  that  if  men  were  unkind,  it  was  for 
Christ's  sake,  and  he  felt  determined  to  go  on  with 
vigor,  though  the  whole  world  of  wretched  men 
should  oppose." 

With  respect  to  the  conversion  of  the  natives  to 
the  nominal  profession  of  Christianity,  in  Mr.  Mar- 
tyn's  opinion,  the  difficulty  was  by  no  means  great. 
He  was  surprised  at  the  laxity  of  principle  which 
seemed  to  prevail  among  i\\e  natives,  and  -could  per- 
ceive that  the  idea  of  embracing  the  religion  of  the 
English,  was  very  pleasant  to  the  Pundit,  and  other 
natives.     But  he  did  not  fail  to  explain  to  them, 


REV.  HENRY  MARTYN.  235 

"that  it  was  no  object  of  his  to  make  them  'Ferin- 
gees,'  in  the  sense  in  which  they  understood  it,  and 
assured  them,  that  if  all  the  Brahmins  and  Rajahs  of 
the  country  would  come  to  him  for  baptism,  he 
would  not  baptize  them,  except  he  believed  that 
they  repented,  and  would  renounce  the  world." 

With  the  condition  of  the  natives,  in  a  moral  point 
of  view,  Mr.  Martyn  had  but  too  much  reason  to  be 
shocked  and  affected:  and  he  was  sometimes  called 
upon  to  interfere,  and  that  with  some  personal  haz- 
ard, to  prevent  acts  of  the  greatest  turpitude  and 
injustice  among  them*  "My  Surdar,"  he  says,  "was 
imprisoned  by  an  unjust  Cotwal.  I  sent  word  to  him 
to  give  nothing  for  his  release,  and  not  to  fear:  the 
Cotwal  was  afraid  and  let  the  man  go,  and  ceased 
his  claim  upon  his  relations.  This  has  been  a  long 
and  iniquitous  business.  I  felt  quite  thankful  that 
the  Lord  had  thus  shewn  himself  the  Father  of  the 
fatherless.  I  could  hardly  believe  such  barefaced 
oppression.  How  much  has  the  Gospel  done  in 
producing  sentiments  of  justice  and  equity  in  all 
ranks  of  people  in  Christendom!  The  poor  people 
here  seem  unable  to  comprehend  it."  "*  *  *,"  he 
adds;  "developed  a  system  of  villainy  carried  on  in 
the  country,  by  the  supineness  of  *  *  %  which  aston- 
ished and  grieved  me  beyond  measure.  I  determin- 
ed to  go  to  *  *  *  myself,  and  tell  him  what  I  had 
heard:  but  thought  it  prudent  to  defer  it  till  after 
my  distant  journey  to  Buxar,  in  which  the  Cotwal, 
who  is  the  head  ol*  a  gang  of  robbers,  with  which 


236  MEMOIR    OF 

the  whole  country  is  swarming,  might  easily  procure 
my  assassination,  if  by  getting  him  turned  out,  I 
should  provoke  him.  I  thought  it,  however,  a  duty 
I  owe  to  God,  to  him,  to  the  poor  oppressed  natives, 
and  to  my  country,  to  exert  myself  in  this  business; 
and  I  felt  authorized  to  risk  my  life." 

This  journey  to  Buxar,  during  which  Mr.  Mar- 
tyn  feared  that,  without  prudence,  he  might  pos- 
sibly become  a  victim  to  the  sudden  revenge  of 
one,  whose  daily  oppressions  caused  many  to  weep 
without  a  comforter,  was  taken  on  the  16th  of 
February:  and  it  may  surprise  those,  who  are  not 
aware  of  the  very  slender  proportion  of  chaplains 
allotted  to  our  empire  in  India,  to  be  informed,  that 
he  travelled  seventy  miles  for  the  purpose  of  per- 
forming part  of  his  pastoral  duty  in  the  celebration 
of  a  marriage.  But  before  we  attend  him  on  this 
journey,  let  us  notice  his  abstraction  from  the  world, 
his  sacred  peace,  his  holy  aspirations,  his  deep  con- 
trition, at  this  period: — "I  felt  more  entirely  with- 
drawn from  the  world,  than  for  a  long  time  past: 
what  a  dark  atheistical  state  do  I  generally  live  in! 
Alas!  that  this  creation  should  so  engross  my  mind, 
and  the  Author  of  it  be  so  slightly  and  coldly  re- 
garded.— I  found  myself,  at  this  time,  truly  a  stran- 
ger and  a  pilgrim  in  the  ^vorld;  and  I  did  suppose 
that  not  a  wish  remained  for  any  thing  here.  The 
experience  of  my  heart  was  delightful.  I  enjoyed 
a  'peace  that  passeth  all  understanding;'  no  desire 
remained,  but  that  this  peace  be  confirmed  and  in- 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  237 

creased.  O  whj  slioukl  any  thing  draw  away  my 
attention,  whilst  Thou  art  ever  near  and  ever 
accessible  through  the  Son  of  thy  love?  O  why  do 
I  not  always  walk  with  God,  forgetful  of  a  vain  and 
perishable  world? — Amazing  patience!  He  bears 
with  this  faithless  foolish  heart,  and  suilbrs  me  to 
come  laden  with  sins,  to  receive  new  pardon,  new 
grace,,  every  day.  Why  does  not  such  love  make 
me  hate  those  sins  which  grieve  him,  and  hide  him 
from  my  sight?  I  sometimes  make  vain  rcsoiutions 
in  my  own  strength,  that  I  will  think  of  God.  Rea- 
son, and  Scripture,  and  experience  teach  me  that 
such  a  life  is  happiness,  and  holiness;  that  by  'be- 
holding his  glory,'  I  should  be  'changed  into  his  im- 
age from  glory  to  glory,"  and  be  freed  from  those 
anxieties  that  make  me  unhappy:  and  that  e\ery 
motive  to  duty  being  strong,  obedience  would  be 
easy." 

Of  his  journey  to  Buxar,  Mr.  Martyn  has  left  the 
following  account.  February  16. — "Rose  very  early, 
and  accumulated  work  for  my  Moonshee  in  my  ab- 
sence. Made  my  will,  and  left  it  with  *  ^  ^,  At 
half-past  three  set  off  in  a  palanquin,  and  in  four 
hours  reached  the  Soane.  From  thence  travelled 
all  night,  and  at  nine  next  morning  reached  Buxar. 
Being  unable  to  sleep,  I  arrived  so  sick  and  unwell, 
as  to  be  convinced  of  the  unprofitableness  of  trav- 
elling by  night  in  this  country.  By  reading  some 
of  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians  before  it  grev/ 
dark,  and  mcditatino^  upon  it  afterward,  my  time 
31 


v 
>..' 


238  IMEMOIR   OF 

passed  agreeably;  and  I  thought  with  dehght  of 
the  time  when  I  should  be  able  to  adopt  the  Apos- 
tle's words  with  respect  to  the  Heathen  around  me. 
After  breakfast  I  lay  down,  and  endeavored  in  vain 
to  get  sleep.  I  was  much  assisted  in  conversation 
with  the  family  after  dinner,  when  we  conversed 
much  on  religious  subjects,  and  I  had  as  good  an  op- 
portunity, as  I  could  have  wished,  for  explaining 
the  nature  of  the  Gospel,  and  offering  considera- 
tions for  embracing  it.  I  retired  to  rest  with  my 
heart  full  of  joy,  at  being  thus  assisted  to  pass  the 
time  profitably." 

Feb.  18.— "My  birth-day — twenty-six. — With  all 
the  numerous  occasions  for  deep  humiliation,  I  have 
cause  for  praise,  at  recollecting  the  promising  opei)- 
ings,  and  important  changes,  which  liave  occurred 
since  my  last  birth-day.  The  Lord,  in  love,  made 
me  wax  stronger  and  stronger!  Walked  after  break- 
fast to  a  pagoda,  within  the  fort  of  Buxar,  where  a 
Brahmin  read  and  expounded.  It  was  a  scene,  I 
suppose,  descriptive  of  the  ancient  times  of  Hindoo 
glory.  The  Brahmin  sat  under  the  shade  of  a  large 
banyan  near  the  pagoda:  his  hair  and  beard  were 
white,  and  his  head  most  gracefully  crowned  with  a 
garland  of  flowers.  A  servant  of  the  Rajah  sat  on 
his  right-hand,  at  right  angles;  and  the  yenerable 
man  then  sung  the  Sanscrit  verses  of  the  Huribuns, 
and  explained  them  to  him,  without  turning  his  head, 
but  only  his  eyes,  which  had  a  very  dignified  effect. 
I  waited  for  the  first  pause  to  ask  some  questions. 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  239 

which  led  to  a  long  conversation.  And  this  ended  by 
my  attempting  to  give  thera  a  history  of  Redemp- 
tion. The  Rajah's  servant  was  a  very  modest,  pen- 
sive man,  but  did  not  seem  to  understand  what  I  said 
so  well  as  the  old  Brahmin,  who  expressed  his  sur- 
prise and  pleasure,  as  well  as  the  other,  at  finding  a 
Sahib  cared  any  thing  about  religion.  I  afterward 
sent  a  copy  of  the  Nagree  Gospels  to  the  servant, 
desiring  that  it  might  be  given  to  the  Rajah,  if  he 
would  accept  it.  In  the  evening  I  married  and  ad- 
ministered the  sacrament  to  *  ^  ^  and  *  *  %  at  their 
own  desire." 

Feb.  19. — "Rose  at  four  and  left  Buxar,  and  at 
nine  in  the  evening  reached  Dinapore  in  safety — 
blessed  be  God — may  my  life  thus  preserved,  by 
unceasing   Providence,   be    his    willing  sacrifice." 

The  scene  Mr.  Martyn  witnessed  in  the  pagoda  at 
Buxar,  was  succeeded,  soon  after  his  return  to  Dina- 
pore, by  another,  he  describes,  still  more  interesting. 
"A  poor  Jew  from  Babylon  came  to  me  begging: 
he  was  tali,  but  stooping  from  weakness,  and  his 
countenance  strongly  marked  with  grief.  When  at 
his  first  arrival,  I  asked  him  if  he  was  a  Mussulman, 
he  said  in  a  low  and  pensive  tone  of  voice — No!  an 
Isralee.  Alas!  poor  people,  still  full  of  the  fury  of 
the  Lord,  the  rebuke  of  thy  God!  I  felt  all  the  ten- 
derness of  a  kinsman  towards  him,  and  found  myself, 
<is  it  were,  at  home  with  an  Asiatic,  who  acknowl- 
edged the  God  of  Abraham.  The  passage  in  chap- 
ter ix,  of  Isaiah  5,  6,  he  rendered  as  meaning  the 
Almighty  God." 


240  MEMOIR    OF 

The  state  of*  the  schools,  five  of  which,  at  his 
own  expense  solely,  Mr.  Martjn  had  instituted  in 
and  about  Dinapore,  began  now  to  occasion  him 
some  anxiety.  An  alarm  was  spread  that  it  Avas  his 
intention  to  seize  upon  all  the  children,  and,  in  some 
compulsory  manner,  make  them  Christians.  The 
school  at  Patna,  in  consequence,  suddenly  sunk  in 
number,  from  forty  children  to  eight:  and  at  Dina- 
pore, a  spot  of  ground,  which  had  been  fixed  upon 
for  the  erection  of  a  school-room,  could  not  be  ob- 
tained from  the  Zemindar.  In  this  perplexity,  Mr. 
Martyn  lost  no  time  in  ascertaining  what  a  soothing, 
and  at  the  same  time  sincere,  explanation  of  his 
sentiments  might  effect,  aiid  for  this  purpose  he 
wxnt  to  Patna.  There,  in  addition  to  his  present 
perplexities,  he  had  the  severe  pain  of  beholding  a 
servant  of  the  Company,  a  man  advanced  in  years, 
and  occupying  a  situation  of  great  respectability, 
living  in  a  state  of  daring  apostacy  from  the  Chris* 
tian  faith,  and  openly  professing  his  preference  for 
Mahometanism.  He  had  even  built  a  mosque  of 
his  own,  which  at  this  season,  being  the  Mohurrun, 
was  adorned  with  flags;  and  being  illummated  at 
night,  proclaimed  the  shame  of  the  offender.  It 
will  readily  be  supposed,  that  Mr.  Martyn  did  not 
fail  to  sound  a  warning  voice  in  the  ears  of  this  mis- 
erable apostate: — he  charged  him  to — "Rfemember 
whence  he  was  fallen," — and  exhorted  him  to  con- 
sider, that — '-the  Son  of  God  had  died  for  sinners." 


REV.    HENRY     MARTYN.  241 

At  the  school  In  Patna,  neither  children  nor  teach- 
er were  to  he  found — all,  as  if  struck  by  a  panic, 
had  absented  themselves.  _  The  people,  however, 
quickly  gathered  in  crowds,  and  to  them  Mr.  Mar- 
tyn  declared,  that  his  intentions  had  been  misunder- 
stood, w^hen  such  was  the  effect  of  temperate  rea- 
sonings, and  mild  expostulations,  that  all  apprehen- 
blons  were  removed  as  quickly  almost  as  they  had 
been  excited — and  in  a  few  days,  the  children  came 
as  usual  to  the  schools  at  Patna  and  DInapore. 

By  February  24,  a  work  was  completed  by  Mr. 
Martyn,  which,  had  he  effected  nothing  else,  Avould 
have  proved  that  he  had  not  lived  in  vain,  the 
translation  of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  into 
Hindoostanee;  and  on  Sunday,  March  15,  he  com- 
menced the  performance  of  divine  worship  in  the 
vernacular  language  of  India,  concluding  with  an  ex- 
hortation from  the  Scripture  in  the  same  tongue. 
The  spectacle  was  as  novel  as  it  was  gratifying,  to 
behold  two  hundred  women,  Portuguese,  Roman 
Catholics  and  Mahometans,  crowding  to  attend  the 
service  of  the  Church  of  England,  which  had  lost 
nothing,  doubtless,  of  its  beautiful  simplicity,  and 
devout  solemnity,  in  being  clothed  with  an  oriental 
dress. 

Toward  the  latter  end  of  the  month  of  March, 
another  useful  Avork  also  was  brought  to  a  conclu- 
sion, that  of  a  Commentary  on  the  Parables. — 
"The  little  book  of  the  Parables,"— Mr.  Martyn 
wrote    to   Mr.   Corrie.   at   this  time,  "is  finished, 


242  MEMOIR    OF 

througli  the  blessing  of  God:  I  cannot  say  I  am 
very  well  pleased,  on  the  re-perusal  of  it;  but  yet, 
containing  as  it  does  such  large  portions  of  the  word 
of  God,  I  ought  not  to  doubt  its  accomplishing  that 
which  he  pleaseth." 

Talking  to  the  Moonshee,  he  says,  in  his  Journal, 
of  the  probable  effects  of  that  work,  "he  cut  me  to 
the  very  heart,  by  his  contemptuous  reflections  on 
the  Gospel — saying  that,  after  the  present  genera- 
tion was  passed  away,  a  race  of  fools  might  perhaps 
arise,  who  would  try  to  believe,  that  God  could  be 
man,  and  man  God,  and  who  would  say  that  this  is 
the  word  of  God?  One  advantage  I  may  derive 
from  his  bitterness  and  disrespect,  is,  that  I  shall  be 
surprised  at  no  appearances  of  the  same  temper  in 
others  in  future.  May  my  Lord  enable  me  to  main- 
tain an  invincible  spirit  of  love! — How  sweet  that 
glorious  day,  when  Jesus  Christ  shall  reign!  Death 
at  several  times  of  this  day  appeared  infinitely  sweet 
in  this  view  of  it — that  I  shall  then  go  to  behold 
the  glory  of  Christ." 

Mr.  Martyn's  duties  on  the  Sabbath  had  now  in- 
creased,— consisting  of  one  service  at  seven  in  the 
morning  to  the  Europeans,  another  at  two  in  the 
afternoon  to  the  Hindoos,  and  an  attendance  at  the 
hospital;  after  which,  in  the  evening,  he  ministered 
privately  at  his  own  rooms,  to  those  soldiers  who 
were  most  seriously  impressed  with  a  sense  of  di- 
vine things.  From  the  folio wmg  statement  we  may 
see  and  appreciate  his   exertions. — "The  English 


RET.    HENRY    MARTYN.  243 

service,  at  seven  in  the  morning.  I  preached  on 
Luke  xxii,  22.  As  is  always  the  case  when  I  preach 
about  Christ,  a  spiritual  influence  was  diifused  over 
my  soul.  The  rest  of  tlie  morning,  till  dinner  time, 
I  spent  not  unprofitably  in  reading  Scripture,  David 
Brainerd,  and  prayer.  That  dear  saint  of  God, 
David  Brainerd,  is  truly  a  man  after  my  own  heart. 
Although  I  cannot  go  half  way  with  him  in  spiritu- 
!  alitj  and  devotion,  I  cordially  unite  with  him  in  such 
of  his  holy  breathings,  as  I  have  attained  unto.  How 
sweet  and  wise,  like  him,  and  the  saints  of  old,  to 
pass  through  this  world  as  a  serious  and  considerate 
stranger.  I  have  had  more  of  this  temper  to-day, 
than  of  late,  and  every  duty  has  been  in  harmony 
with  my  spirit.  The  service  in  Hindoostanee  was 
at  two  o'clock.  The  number  of  the  women  not 
above  one  hundred.  I  expounded  chap,  iii,  of  St. 
Matthew.  Notwithstanding  the  general  apathy 
with  which  they  seemed  to  receive  every  thing, 
there  were  two  or  three,  who,  1  was  sure,  under- 
stood and  felt  something.  But  not  a  single  creature 
beside  them,  European  or  native,  was  present.  Yet 
true  spirituality,  with  all  its  want  of  attractions  for 
the  carnal  heart,  did  prevail  over  the  splendid  shows 
of  Greece  and  Rome,  and  shall  again  here. — A  man  at 
the  hospital  much  refreshed  me,  by  observing,  that  if  I 
made  an  acquisition  of  but  one  convert  in  my  whole 
life,  it  would  be  a  rich  reward;  and  that  I  was 
taking  the  only  possible  way  to  this  end.  This  man's 
remark  was  much  more  sensible  than  *  *  "^'s  y ester- 


244  MEMOIR    OF 

day,  who,  it  seems,  liad  received  full  information  of 
my  schools,  &c»  and  said  I  should  make  no  proselyte. 
'Thy  judgments  are  far  above  out  of  their  sight.' 
How  positively  they  speak,  as  if  there  were  no  God 
who  could  influence  the  heart.  At  night  B.  and 
vS.  came,  and  we  had  the  usual  service." 

With  those  soldiers  who  attended  Mr.  Martyn 
always  on  the  evening  of  the  Sabbath,  and  often  on 
some  other  evenings  of  the  week,  he  enjoyed  true 
spiritual  communion.  Their  number  was  very  small 
at  first,  amounting  at  the  most  to  five;  sometimes, 
indeed,  only  one  could  attend,  but  Avith  him  he  would 
gladly  unite  in  prayer  and  pj'aise,  and  reading  the 
Scriptures,  when  the  promise  of  the  Redeemer's 
gracious  presence  was  verified  to  their  abundant  con- 
solation. 

Over  some  few  of  the  officers  stationed  at  Dina- 
pore,  he  now  began  to  rejoice  with  that  joy,  which 
faithful  ministers  alone  can  estimate,  who,  after 
much  earnest  preaching  and  admonition,  and  after 
many  prayers  and  tears — at  length  perceive  a  fruit- 
ful result  of  their  anxious  endeavors  to  win  souls  and 
glorify  their  Lord.  One  of  these,  vvho  from  the 
first,  to  use  Mr.  Martyn's  own  words,  had  "treated 
him  with  the  kindness  of  a  father,"  at  this  time 
excited  expectations  which  soon  ripened  into  a  de- 
lightful certainty,  that  he  had  turned  with  full  pur- 
pose of  heart  to  his  Redeemer.  But  if  his  happiness 
Avas  great  at  witnessing  this  effect  of  the  divine  bless- 
ing on  his  ministry — so  also  was  his  anxiety,  lest  this 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYR.  245 

new  convert  should  relapse,  and  walk  again  accord- 
ing to  the  course  of  this  world,  and  he  began,  he  said, 
in  reference  to  him,  for  the  first  time,  to  enter  into 
the  spirit  of  the  xVpostle's  words,  "now  we  live  if  ye 
stand  fast  in  the  Lord." 

To  those  ministerial  duties  in  which  he  was  now 
engaged,  Mr.  Martyn  considered,  that  in  prudence 
he  ought,  for  the  present,  to  confine  himself — had 
he  given  way  at  once  to  the  strong  and  full-flowing 
tide  of  his  zeal  and  love,  it  would  immediately  have 
carried  him,  with  the  Bible  in  his  hand,  into  the 
streets  of  Patna;  though  to  have  commenced  his 
ministry  in  that  idolatrous  city,  as  he  confesses  to  Mr. 
Corrie,  (to  whom  he  wrote  in  these  ardent  and  ener- 
getic terms,)  would  have  cost  him  much: — "O  that 
the  time  were  come  that  I  should  be  able  to  carry 
the  war  into  the  enemy's  territory.  It  will  be  a 
severe  trial  to  the  flesh,  my  dear  brother,  for  us 
both. — But  it  is  sufficient  for  the  disciple  to  be  as  his 
master,  and  the  servant  as  his  Lord.  We  shall  be 
^accounted  as  the  filth  of  the  world,  and  the  offscour- 
ing  of  all  things.'  But  glory  be  to  God,  if  we  shall 
be  accounted  worthy  to  sufler  shame  for  the  name 
of  the  Lord  Jesus.  The  cause  we  undertake,  is,  if 
possible,  more  odious  and  contemptible  in  the  eyes  of 
the  people  of  this  country,  than  it  was  in  the  primitive 
times:  and  that,  because  of  the  misconduct  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Missionaries,  in  administering  bap- 
tism to  people  without  repentance.  It  is  no  more 
than  natural  that  Christian  should  be  a  name  of  exe- 
32 


246k  MEMOIR    OF 

cratioii  to  those  who  knew  no  more  of  Christranltf, 
than  what  they  have  hitherto  observed  in  this 
countrv." 

To  that  unrestrained  intercourse  by  letter,  which 
Mr.  Martyn  held  weekly  with  Mr.  Corrie,  he  was 
indebted  for  much  of  the  purest  felicity  of  his  life. 
Such  a  friend  stationed  near  him  in  suck  ci  country^ 
he  ranked  amongst  the  richest  blessings  showered 
down  upon  him  from  on  high.  For  if  we  except 
his  other  brethren  in  India,  with  whom  he  statedly 
corresponded  every  quarter,  and  often  also  at  other 
times,  and  never  but  with  great  delight — he  had  no 
one  like-minded,  who  would  naturally  care  for  the 
souls  of  the  Heathen — Mr.  Corrie  was  of  one  heart 
with  himself. 

An  interruption  of  this  correspondence,  which 
noAv  took  place,  painful  as  it  was  in  itself  to  Mr. 
Martyn,  was  more  so  with  respect  to  its  cause. 
The  military  station  at  Chunar  is  considered  more 
adverse  to  the  constitution  of  an  European,  than 
almost  any  other  in  India,  and  the  heat,  which  in 
the  month  of  March  raised  the  thermometer  at 
Dinapore  to  92*^  in  the  shade,  at  Chunar  was 
still  more  oppressively  intense.  Mr.  Corrie's  health 
in  consequence  began  to  be  seriously  affected,  and 
many  apprehensions  for  his  most  valuable  life,  forced 
themselves  upon  the  mind  of  Mr.  Martyn.^ 

The  following  extract  of  a  letter,  written  upon 
this  occasion,  shews  Mr.  Martyn's  anxiety  for  his 
friend,  and  evinces  also  how  fully  he  was  alive  to 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  247 

the  necessity  of  subjecting  the  impetuosity  of  zeal 
to  the  discriminating  correction  of  wisdom.  "If 
there  is  nothing  on  the  rock  of  Chunar,  which  oc- 
casions your  frequent  illness,  I  am  sure  I  am  not 
one  to  advise  you  to  leave  the  flock.  But  if  there  is, 
as  I  have  much  reason  to  beheve,  then  the  mere 
loss  of  your  services  to  the  few  people  there,  is,  I 
think,  not  a  sufficient  reason  for  hazarding  your  life, 
in  which  the  interest  of  millions  of  others  are  im- 
mediately involved.  Consider,  you  bring  a  fixed 
habit  of  body  with  you,  and  must  humor  it,  as  much 
as  possible,  at  first.  When,  after  the  experience  of 
a  year  or  two,  you  know  w  hat  you  can  bear,  go,  if 
you  please,  to  the  extent  of  your  powers.  It  is  not 
agreeable  to  the  pride  and  self-righteous  parts  of 
our  natures,  to  be  conferring  with  flesh  and  blood: 
nature,  under  a  religious  form  would  rather  squan- 
der away  life  and  strength,  as  David  Brainerd  did. 
You  know  how  I  regard  him  as  one,  ^the  latchet  of 
whose  shoes  I  am  not  worthy  to  unloose;'  and  yet 
considering  the  palpable  impropriety  of  his  attempt- 
ing to  do  what  he  did,  w^hen  he  ought  to  have  been 
in  medical  hands,  and  not  being  able  to  ascribe  it  to 
folly  in  such  a  sensible  man,  I  feel  disposed,  perhaps 
from  motives  of  censoriousness,  to  ascribe  it  to  the 
desire  of  gaining  his  own  good  opinion." — Then 
proceeding  to  the  subject  w^iich  lay  so  near  both 
their  hearts — the  conversion  of  the  Heathen — he 
thus  concludes:  "I  long  to  hear  of  a  Christian  school 
established   at   Benares:    it   will   be  like  the  ark 


M^ 


MEMOIR    OF 


brought  into  the  house  of  Dagon.  But  do  not  be  in 
a  hurry:  let  your  character  become  known,  and  you 
may  do  any  thing.  If  nothing  else  comes  of  our 
schools,  one  thing  I  feel  assured  of,  that  the  chil- 
dren will  grow^  up  ashamed  of  the  idolatry  and  other 
customs  of  their  country.  But  surely  the  general 
conversion  of  the  natives  is  not  far  off: — the  poverty 
of  the  Brahmins  makes  them  less  anxious  for  the 
continuance  of  the  present  system,  from  which  they 
gain  but  little.  But  the  translation  of  the  Scrip- 
tures is  the  grand  epoch.  I  trust  we  shall  have  the 
heavenly  pleasure  of  dispersing  the  Scriptures 
together  through  the  interior.  Oh,  the  happiness 
and  honor  of  being  the  children  of  God,  the  minis- 
ters of  Christ!" 

Mr.  Marty n's  own  health,  as  well  as  that  of  his 
friend,  was  reduced  at  this  time  to  a  weak  and  lan- 
guid state.  To  the  debilitating  effects  of  the  heat- 
ed atmosphere,  this  was,  in  part  perhaps,  to  be 
attributed;  but  it  was  certainly  increased,  if  not  in- 
duced, by  his  too  severe  abstinence.  Most  strictly 
did  he  ever  observe  the  holy  seasons  set  apart  by  the 
Church  for  fasting  and  prayer: — but  the  illness  un- 
der which  he  now  labored  was  so  evidently  aggra- 
vated, if  not  occasioned,  by  abstinence,  that  he  be- 
came C0i>vinced,  that  the  exercise  of  fasting  was  so 
injurious  to  his  health,  as  to  be  improper  iti  the  de- 
gree and  frequency  in  which  he  had  been  accus- 
tonied  to  perform  it. 


REV.     HENRY     MARTYN.  249 

In  this  sickness,  however,  though  an  extreme  lan- 
guor accompanied  it,  he  was  not  only  patient  but 
active.  On  the  Sabbath  he  would  by  no  means  de- 
sist from  his  work; — "I  was  assisted,"  he  says,  "to 
go  through  the  usual  ministrations  without  pain.  In 
the  morning  I  preached  on  Psalm  xvi,  8—10,  and 
administered  the  Lord's  Supper  with  rather  more 
solemnity  and  feeling  than  I  usually  have.  The 
rest  of  the  morning  I  could  do  little  but  lie  down. 
In  the  afternoon  I  found,  I  suppose,  two  hundred 
women,  and  I  expounded  again  at  considerable 
length.  Read  Piigrim's  Progress  at  the  hospital. 
In  exposition  with  the  soldiers  I  found  great  en- 
largement." 

As  a  proof  of  that  wTetchedness  and  ignorance 
in  the  natives,  which  so  excited  Mr.  Martyn's  com- 
passion for  them,  we  may  adduce  two  instances 
with  which  he  himself  has  furnished  us,  in  a  Brah- 
min and  a  Ranee  (a  native  princess;)  though  per- 
haps the  Brahmin  may  be  considered  as  only  avow- 
ing sentiments  too  common  amongst  many  who  are 
called  Christians,  and  have  the  Book  of  God  in  their 
hands.  "A  Brahmin,"  he  says,  "visiting  my  Pundit, 
copied  out  the  Parable  in  which  the  Ten  Command- 
ments were  written,  with  a  determination  to  put  them 
all  accurately  into  practice^  in  order  to  he  united  with 
God. — He  had,  hoAvever,  an  observation  to  make, 
and  a  question  to  ask.  'There  was  nothing,'  he  sajd, 
'commanded  to  be  done,  only  things  to  be  abstained 
from;   and  if  he  should  be  taken  ill  in  the  bazar, 


250  TdEMOIR  OF 

or  while  laughing,  and  die;  and  through  fear  of 
transgressing  the  third  commandment,  should  not 
mention  the  name  of  God,  should  he  go  to  heav- 
en?— The  Ranee  of  Daoudnagur,  to  whom  I  had 
sent  a  copy  of  the  Gospels  by  the  Pundit,  returned 
her  compliments,  and  desired  to  know  what  must 
be  done  for  obtaining  benefit  from  the  book;  wheth- 
er prayer,  or  making  a  salam  (a  bow)  to  it?  I  sent 
her  word  she  must  seek  diyine  instruction  in  secret 
prayer,  and  I  also  added  some  other  advice." 

Little  as  there  was  that  was  promising  in  either 
of  these  characters,  there  was  jet  more  appearance 
of  what  might  be  thought  hopeful  in  them,  than 
in  Mr.  Martyn's  Moonshee  and  Pundit,  whom  he 
still  continued  to  labor,  incessantly,  though  unsuc- 
cessfully, to  convince  of  their  awful  errors. 

"My  faith,"  he  complains  again,  "tried  by  many 
things;  especially  by  disputes  with  the  Moonshee 
and  the  Pundit.  The  Moonshee  shews  remarka- 
ble contempt  for  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity.  'It 
shews  God  to  be  weak  (he  says,)  if  he  is  obliged  to 
have  a  fellow.  God  was  not  obliged  to  become  man, 
for,  if  we  had  all  perished,  he  would  have  suffered 
no  loss.  And  as  to  pardon,  and  the  difficulty  of  it, 
I  pardon  my  servant  very  easily,  and  there  is  an  end. 
As  to  the  Jewish  Scriptures,  how  do  I  know  but 
they  were  altered  by  themselves?  They  were 
wicked  enough  to  do  it,  just  as  they  made  a  calf.' — 
Tn  all  these  things  I  answered  so  fully  that  he  had 
nothing  to  reply."     "In  the  afternoon  I  had  a  long 


REV.    HENRY     MARTYN.  251 

argument  again  with  the  Pundit.  He  too  wanted 
to  degrade  the  person  of  Jesus,  and  said,  neither 
Brahma,  Vishnu,  nor  Seib  were  so  low  as  to  be  born 
of  a  woman;  and  that  every  sect  wished  to  exalt  its 
teacher,  and  so  the  Christians  did  Jesus." 

March  14. — "The  quotations  which  I  collected 
from  Scripture  this  day,  in  treating  on  the  Parable 
of  the  inconsiderate  King,  in  order  to  illustrate  the 
idea  of  the  sufferings  to  which  Christians  are  expos- 
ed, seemed  to  offend  both  the  Moonshee  and  Pundit 
very  much.  In  considering  the  text — 'the  time 
Cometh  when  he  that  killeth  you  shall  think  he 
doth  God  service,'  he  defended  the  practice  of  put- 
ting infidels  to  death,  and  the  certainty  of  salvation 
to  Mooslems  dying  in  battle  with  the  infidels,  and 
said,  it  was  no  more  strange  than  for  a  magistrate  to 
have  power  to  put  an  offender  to  death.  He  took 
occasion  also  to  say,  that  the  New  Testament,  as  we 
gave  it,  and  the  church  service  also,  was  stuffed  with 
blasphemies.— With  the  benighted  Pundit  1  had  a 
long  conversation,  as  he  seemed  to  be  more  in  earnest 
than  I  had  yet  seen  him.  He  asked,  whether  by 
receiving  the  Gospel  he  should  see  God  in  a  visible 
shape,  because,  he  said,  that  he  had  seen  Sargoon, 
jthe  deity,  made  visible:  this  he  affirmed  with  great 
gravity  and  earnestness.  At  night  I  lost  time  and 
temper  in  disputing,  with  the  Moonshee,  respecting 
the  lawfulness  of  putting  men  to  death  for  blas- 
phemy. He  began  by  cavilling  at  the  Lord's  Prayer 
and  ridiculing  it,  particularly  the  expression  'hallow- 


252  MEMOIR    OF 

ed  be  thy  name* — as  if  the  name  of  the  Deity  was 
not  already  holy.  He  said,  'that  prayer  was  not  a 
duty  amongst  the  Mahometans,  that  reading  the 
Numaz  was  merely  the  praise  of  God,  and  that  as 
when  a  servant,  after  doing  his  master's  duty  well, 
thought  it  a  favorable  opportunity  for  asking  a  favor, 
so  the  Mooslem,  after  doing  his  duty,  might  ask  of 
God  riches,  or  a  son,  or,  if  he  pleased,  patience  in 
affliction.'  This  then  is  Mahometanism,  to  murder 
as  infidels  the  children  of  God,  and  to  live  without 
prayer." 

"The  conversation  with  the  Pundit  more  serious 
than  it  has  yet  been:  and  I  find  that  seriousness  in 
the  declaration  of  the  truths  of  the  Gospel,  is  likely  to 
have  more  power,  than  the  clearest  argumeyits  conveyed 
in  a  trifling  spirit. — I  told  him,  that  now  he  had 
heard  the  word  of  Christ,  he  would  not  be  tried 
at  the  last  day  by  the  same  law  as  the  other  Brah- 
mins and  Hindoos  who  had  never  heard  it,  but  in  the 
same  manner  as  myself,  and  other  Christians,  and 
that  I  feared,  therefore,  he  was  in  great  danger. 
He  said,  as  usual,  that  there  were  many  Avays  to 
God,  but  I  replied,  there  was  no  other  Savior  but 
Christ,  because  no  other  Lord  bought  men  with  bis 
blood,  and  suffered  their  punishment  for  them.  This 
effectually  silenced  him  on  that  head:  he  then  said, 
'he  had  a  house  and  children,  and  that  to  preserve 
them  he  must  retain  the  favor  of  the  world,  that  he 
and  his  friends  despised  idol  worship,  but  that  the 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN^.  2^3 

world  would  call  him  wicked  if  he  forsook  the  ser- 
vice of  the  gods.' " 

"Pundit  grieved  me,  by  shewing  that  he  knew  no 
more  of  the  way  of  salvation  than  before.  Alas! 
how  poor  and  contemptible  are  all  my  efforts  far 
God,  if  efforts  they  can  be  called.  He  observed, 
that  'there  was  nothing  express  in  the  book  about 
the  way  of  salvation,  as  to  what  one  must  do  to  be 
saved' — the  legalist's  question  in  every  land." 

"Pundit  observed,  that  I  had  said,  forgiveness 
would  not  be  given  for  repentance  only;  whereas  in 
the  third  Parable,  in  chap,  xv,  of  St.  Luke,  the  re- 
pentant sinner  was  received  at  once.  How  could 
this  be? — for  his  part,  he  would  rest  his  hopes  on 
the  Parables,  in  preference  to  the  other  statements. 
How  strange  is  the  reluctance  which  men  have  to 
depend  on  the  righteousness  of  another!  The  Pun- 
dit affirmed,  that  he  was  keeping  all  the  command-' 
ments  of  God.  But  when  I  charged  him  with  wor- 
shipping the  sun  at  his  morning  devotions,  he  con= 
fessed  it;  and  said  it  was  not  forbidden  in  the  Ten 
Commandments.  I  then  read  him  the  passages, 
relating  to  the  worship  of  the  host  of  heaven,  but 
he  could  see  no  harm  in  this  species  of  \vorship, 
more  than  making  his  salam  to  any  other  superior 
With  respect  to  the  Sabbath,  he  said,  he  had 
always  kept  that  day  by  fasting,  and  that  all  Hindoos 
did  the  same:  but  he  said  no  reason  was  given  in 
the  Shaster  why  it  was  holy. 


254  MEMOIR  OF 

"Talking  with  Moonshee  on  the  old  subjects — 
the  Divinity  of  Christ,  Mahomet's  challenge,  &:c.  he 
did  not  know  of  the  method  of  Mahometan  doctors 
teaching,  that  one  passage  abrogates   another:  but 
said,  if  I  could  produce  two  commandments  undeni- 
ably opposite,  he  would  throw  away  the  book,  and 
seek  a  new  religion.     Respecting  the  promise  of 
Mahomet,  that  they  who  die  fighting  for  Islam, 
should  certainly  go  to  heaven,  I  said,  my  objection 
was  that   the  person  thus  dying  might  be  full  of 
envy,  &c.  and  could  such  a  person  go  to  God?     In 
answer  to  this,  he  denied  that  the  sins  of  the  heart 
were  sihs  at  all:  and  I  could  say  nothing  to  convince 
him  they  were. — To  refute   what  he  had  said  at 
some  former  times,  about  Mussulmen  not  remaining 
in  hell  for  ever,  I  applied  our  Savior's  Parable  about 
the  servant   beaten  with  many  stripes;  and  asked 
him,  if  I  had  two  servants,  one  of  v.hom  knew  my 
will,  and  the   other  not,  and  both  committed   the 
same  fault,  which  was  the  more  culpable?    He  an- 
swered— 'I    suppose    he    who   knew    his    master's 
w^ill.' — I  replied,  yet  according  to  you,  the  enlighten- 
ed Mussulmen  are  to  come  out  of  hell,  and  Jews 
and  Christians,  for  the  same  sin,  are  to  remain  there 
for  ever.     He  had  not  a  word  to  reply:  but  said  he 
could  give  no  answer  'uglee,'  but  only  'nuglee,' — con- 
tradicting it  on  the   authority  6f  the  Kqran.     He 
spoke  of  the  ineffectual  endeavor  of  men  to  root 
out  Islamism,  as  a  proof  of  its  being  from  God;  and 
objected  to  Christianity,  because  there  were  no  dif- 


REV.  HENRY  MARTYN.  255 

ficulties  in  it — devotion  only  once  a  week — prayer 
or  no  prayer,  just  when  or  where  we  pleased — elat- 
ing with  or  without  washing — and  that,  in  general, 
it  w^as  a  life  of  carelessness  with  us." 

Toward  the  middle  of  the  month  of  April,  an- 
other summons,  similar  to  that  which  had  carried 
Mr.  Martyn  to  Buxar,  called  him  from  his  studies 
and  labors  at  Dinapore,  to  Monghir.  It  was  not 
long  before  he  undertook  this  expedition,  that  w^e 
find  him  thus  expressing  himself,  after  an  examina- 
tion into  the  state  of  his  heart  before  God.  '-My 
mind  much  as  usual,  not  tried  by  any  violent  as- 
sault of  sin  or  Satan,  but  the  daily  cause  of  grief 
and  shame,  and  indeed  the  root  of  all  sin  is  forget- 
fulness  of  God.  I  perceive  not  in  what  state  1 
have  been  in,  till  I  come  to  pray."  "Enjoyed  a 
greater  stability  of  faith  in  the  divine  Redeemer^ 
May  he  make  his  servant  steady,  brave  and  vigi- 
lant in  his  service." — "Satan  assaults  me  in  various 
ways:  some  of  his  darts,  respecting  the  person  of 
my  Lord,  were  dreadfully  severe:  but  he  triumph- 
ed not  a  moment;  I  am  taught  to  see  what  w^ould 
become  of  me,  if  God  should  withdraw  his  strong 
hand.  Is  there  any  depth  into  which  Satan  would 
not  plunge  me?" 

"My  soul  is  sometimes  tried  with  the  abounding 
of  iniquity,  and  wounded  by  infidel  thoughts.  But 
my  Redeemer  is  risen  triumphant,  and  will  not  suf- 
fer his  feeble  servant  to  be  tempted  above  that  I 
am  able  to  bear.". — "If  there  is  one  thing  that  re^ 


25(5  ftlEMOlR   OF 

freshes  my  soul  above  all  other  things,  it  is  that  I 
shall  behold  the  Redeemer  gloriously  triumphant  at 
the  winding  up  of  all  things.  O  thou  injured  Sove- 
reign, how  long  dost  thou  bear  this  ingratitude  from 
wicked  mankind!" 

"Still  permitted  to  find  sweet  refuge  in  the  pres- 
ence of  my  Lord,  from  infidelity,  and  the  proud 
world,  and  the  vanities  of  time." 

"In  prayer  had  an  affecting  sense  of  my  shameful 
ingratitude.  Had  I  behaved  thus  to  an  earthly  ben- 
efactor, shewing  so  little  regard  for  his  company, 
and  his  approbation,  how  should  I  abhor  myself,  and 
be  abhorred  by  alh  O  what  a  God  is  our  God! 
How  astonishingly  rich  in  grace,  bearing  all  with  un- 
ceasing patience,  and  doing  nothing  but  crown  his 
sinful  creature  with  loving  kindness  and  tender  mer- 
ries." 

"This  is  the  day  1  left  Cambridge.  My  thoughts 
frequently  recurred  with  many  tender  recollections 
to  that  seat  of  my  beloved  brethren,  and  I  again 
wandered  in  spirit  amongst  the  trees  on  the  banks 
of  the  Cam." 

"Employed  in  writing  a  sermon  and  translating; 
but  heavenly  things  become  less  familiar  to  my 
mind,  whilst  I  am  so  employed  without  intermission. 
Yet  the  whole  desire  of  my  heart  is  towards  spir- 
itual enjoyment.  O  when  shall  body,  soul,  and 
spirit,  be  all  duly  employed  for  God!" 

"Dull  and  poor  as  my  miserable  soul  is,  and  think- 
ing very  little  about  heaven,  yet  for  aught  else  that 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYNi  "l[i1l 

13  in  the  world,  existence  is  scarcely  worth  having. 
The  world  seems  as  empty  as  air." 

On  the  18th  of  April,  Mr.  Martyn  commenced  his 
voyage  of  nearly  a  hundred  miles  to  Monghir: — the 
following  is  an  extract  from  his  Journal  during  the 
eight  days  which  were  consumed^  in  leaving  his  station 
to  marry  a  couple,  and  returning  afterwards  to 
Dinapore. 

"After  finishing  the  correction  of  the  Parables,  I 
left  Dinapore  to  go  to  Monghir — spent  the  evening 
at  Patna  with  Mr.  *  *  =*,  talking  on  literary  subjects: 
but  my  soul  was  overwhelmed  with  a  sense  of  my 
guilt,  in  not  striving  to  lead  the  conversation  to  some- 
thing that  might  be  for  his  spiritual  good.  My 
general  backwardness  to  speak  on  spiritual  subjects, 
before  the  unconverted,  made  me  groan  in  spirit  at 
such  unfeelingness  and  unbelief.  May  the  remem- 
brance of  what  I  am  made  to  suffer  for  these  neg- 
lects, be  one  reason  for  greater  zeal  and  love  in  the 
time  to  come." 

April  19th. — "A  melancholy  Lord's  Day!  in  the 
morning,  at  the  appointed  hour,  I  found  some  solem- 
nity and  tenderness:  the  whole  desire  of  my  soul 
seemed  to  be,  that  all  the  ministers  in  India  might 
be  eminently  holy,  and  that  there  might  be  no  re- 
mains of  that  levity,  or  indolence  in  any  of  us,  which 
I  found  in  myself.  The  rest  of  the  day  passed 
heavily;  for  a  hurricane  of  hot  wind  fastened  us  on  a 
sand-bank,  for  twelve  hours;  when  the  dust  was  suf- 
focating, and  the  heat  increased  the  sickness,  which 


258  .  IVIEMOIR    Ot" 

was  produced  by  the  tossing  of  the  boat,  though  she 
was  aground,  and  I  frequently  fell  asleep  over  my 
work.  However,  the  more  I  felt  tempted  to  im- 
patience and  unhappiness,  the  more  the  Lord  help- 
ed me  to  strive  against  it,  and  to  look  at  the  fulness 
of  Jesus  Christ.     Several  hymns,  particularly 

*There  is  a  fountain  filled  w^th  blood/ 

were  very  sweet  to  me.  After  all  the  acquisitions 
of  human  science,  what  is  there  to  be  compared  to 
the  knowledge  of  Christ,  and  him  crucified! — Read 
much  of  the  Scripture  history  of  Saul,  and  the  pre^ 
dictions  in  the  latter  end  of  the  Revelations.  Read 
also  Marshall  on  Sanctification,  Gibert's  Sermons, 
and  Thomas  a  Kempis." 

April  20. — "A  day  very  little  better.  I  could 
scarcely  keep  myself  alive,  and  was  much  tried  by 
evil  temper.  Employed  in  writing  to  ^  ^  %  and  Mr. 
"^^^but  all  I  did  was  without  energy;  the  long- 
wished  for  night  came  at  last,  and  my  feeble  body 
found  rest  and  restoration  in  sleep." 

April  21. — "Again  the  love  and  mercy  of  the 
Lord  restored  me  to  health  and  spirits.  Began  to 
write  a  sermon  on  walking  in  Christ,  and  found  my 
soul  benefited  by  meditation  on  the  subject.  In 
the  afternoon  went  on  with  translations.  Arrived 
at  sun-set  at  Mon^hlr." 

April  22. — "Spent  the  day  at  *=^^'s,  found  two  or 
three  opportunities  to  speak  to  him  about  his  soul. 
***  threw  out  some  infidel  sentiments,  which  gave 


REV.   HENRY    MARTYN.  259 

me  an  opportunity  of  speaking.  But  to  none  of  the 
rest  was  I  able  to  say  any  thing.  Alas!  in  what  a 
state  are  mankind  every  where — hving  without 
God  in  the  world.    Married  *  ^  *  to  *  *  *. 

April  23. — "After  baptizing  a  child  of  *  *  =*,  I 
left  Monghir,  and  got  on  twenty-three  miles  to  Dina- 
pore,  very  sorrowful  in  mind,  both  from  the  recol- 
lection of  having  done  nothing  for  the  perishing  souls 
I  had  been  amongst,  and  from  finding  myself  so  un- 
qualified to  write  on  a  spiritual  subject,  which  I  had 
undertaken.  Alas!  the  ignorance  and  carnality  of 
mj  miserable  soul!  how  contemptible  must  it  be  in 
the  sight  of  God!" 

April  24. — "Still  cast  down  at  my  utter  inability 
to  write  any  thing  profitable  on  this  subject,  and  at 
my  execrable  pride  and  ease  of  heart.  O  that  I 
could  weep  with  shame  and  sorrow  in  the  dust,  for 
my  wickedness  and  folly!  Yet  thanks  are  due  to  the 
Lord  for  shewing  me,  in  this  way,  how  much  my 
heart  has  been  neglected  of  late.  I  see  by  this, 
how  great  are  the  temptations  of  a  Missionary  to 
neglect  his  own  soul.  Apparently  outwardly  em- 
ployed for  God,  my  heart  has  been  growing  more 
hard  and  proud.  Let  me  be  taught,  that  the  first 
great  business  on  earth,  is  the  sanctification  of  my 
own  soul;  so  shall  I  be  rendered  more  capable  also 
•of  peiforming  the  duties  of  the  ministry,  whether 
amongst  the  Europeans  or  Heathen,  in  a  holy  and 
solemn  manner.  O  how  I  detest  that  levity  to 
which  I  am  so  subject! — How  cruel  and  unfeelin^it 


iklO  MEMOIR   Ot' 

is! — God  is  witness,  that  I  would  rather,  from  this 
day  forward,  weep  day  and  night  for  the  danger  of 
immortal  souls.  But  my  wickedness  seems  to  take 
such  hold  of  me,  that  I  cannot  escape,  and  my  only 
refuge,  is  to  commit^my  soul,  wdth  all  its  corruption, 
into  the  hands  of  Christ,  to  be  sanctified  and  saved 
by  the  Almighty  power  of  grace.  For  what  can  I 
do  with  myself?  my  heart  is  so  thoroughly  corrupt 
that  I  cannot  keep  myself  one  moment  from  sin. — 
Finished  the  Koran  to-day,  and  considered  with  my- 
self, why  I  rejected  it  as  an  imposition,  and  the  rea- 
sons appeared  clear  and  convincing." 

"The  budgerow  struck  with  such  violence  against 
a  sand-bank,  that  a  poor  Mahometan  boy  falling, 
with  all  the  rest,  broke  his  arm.  We  did  all  we 
could,  but  the  cries  of  the  poor  boy  went  through 
my  heart.  At  night  a  tremendous  North-wester 
came  on,  but  the  Lord  kept  us  in  safety." 

April  25. — ^'Morning  employed  with  little  success 
on  the  same  subject.  1  still  find  it  too  spiritual  for 
my  carnal  heart.  My  mind  distressed  with  doubts, 
whether  I  should  make  the  people  observe  the  Sab- 
bath, by  causing  them  to  lie  by:  but  considering, 
that  they  would  not  think  it  a  favor,  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, a  vexation — that  they  eould  not  sanctify  it, 
and  that  I  had  not  given  the  Manghee  previous  no- 
tice before  setting  out,  I  resolved  to  go  on;  though  I 
felt  by  no  means  easy,  and  before  setting  out  again, 
I  hope  to  make  up  my  mind  satisfactorily  on  the 
subject." 


REV.  HENRY  MARTYN.  26*1 

April  26. — "In  prayer,  at  the  appointed  hour,  I 
felt  solemnity  of  mind,  and  an  earnest  desire,  that 
the  Lord  would  pour  out  a  double  portion  of  his 
Spirit  upon  us  his  Ministers  in  India;  that  every  one 
of  us  may  be  eminent  in  holiness  and  ministerial 
gifts.  If  I  were  to  judge  from  myself,  I  should  fear 
God  had  forsaken  his  Church;  for  I  am  most  awfully 
deficient  in  the  knowledge  and  experience  requisite 
for  a  Minister: — -but,  my  d^ar  brother  Corrie,  bless- 
ed be  God,  is  a  man  of  a  fetter  spirit: — may  he 
grow  more  and  more  in  grac6,  and  continue  to  be 
an  example  to  us!  Passed  the  day  in  reading  and 
prayer,  such  as  my  prayers  are.  My  soul  struggled 
with  corruption,  yet  I  found  the  merit  and  grace  of 
Jesus  all  sufficient,  and  all  supporting. — Though  my 
guilt  seemed  like  mountains,  I  considered  it  as  no 
reason  for  departing  from  Christ,  but  rather  of 
clinging  to  him  more  closely.  Thus  I  got  through 
the  day,  cast  down,  but  not  destroyed.  The  account 
of  David's  fall  affected  me  more  tenderly  than  ever 
it  did,  and  I  could  not  help  weeping  over  the  fall  of 
that  man  of  God.  Began  Scott's  Essays,  and  was 
surprised  indeed  at  the  originality  and  vigor  of  the 
senti n:ienis  and  lano^uaore.    At  niofht  arrived  at  Patna." 

April  27. — "Left  Patna  and  arrived  at  Dinaporco 
The  concourse  of  people  in  that  great  city,  was  a 
solemn  admonition  to  me  to  be  diligent  in  study  and 
prayer.  Thousands  of  intelligent  people  togeth- 
er;— no  Sabbath — no  word  of  God — no  one  to  give 
them  advice — how  inscrutable  the  ways  of  God!" 
34 


202  5IEM0IR   OF 

Mr.  Martjn  had  no  sooner  returned  to  Dinapore, 
than  he  heard,  to  his  sorrow  and  surprise,  that  the 
Ranee,  to  whom  he  had  sent  a  Testament,  together 
with  some  advice  upon  the  subject  of  rehgion,  was 
about  to  dispatch  a  messenger  to  him,  to  request  a 
letter  of  recommendation  to  one  of  the  judges,  be- 
fore whom  she  had  a  cause  pending,  in  which  her 
dominions  were  at  stake.  "I  felt  hurt,"  he  says,  "at 
considering  how  low  a  sovereign  Princess  must  be 
fallen  to  make  such  a  request;  but  lost  no  time  in 
apprising  her,  that  our  laws  were  perfectly  distinct 
from  the  divine  laws,  and  that  therefore  this  was  no 
affair  of  mine  as  she  seemed  to  suppose." 

In  Mr.  Martyn's  schools  so  much  progress  had 
now  been  made,  that  it  became  necessary  to  deter- 
mine what  books  should  be  placed  in  the  hands  of 
the  children  who  could  read.  To  give  them  at  first 
the  book  of  the  Parables,  which  he  had  prepared 
for  their  use,  would,  it  was  feared,  awaken  suspi- 
cions in  the  breasts  of  their  parents,  who  had  al- 
ready shewn  much  jealousy  respecting  his  designs. 
Thought  it  the  wisest  measure  to  permit  them  to 
use  one  of  the  Hindoo  books;  after  having  had  it 
previously  read  to  him.  It  was  a  book  which,  if  it 
did  no  good,  could  (he  thought)  do  no  harm,  as  it 
was  an  old  Hindu  wee  poem,  on  an  Avatar  of  Vishnu, 
which  it  was  impossible  for  the  children  to  under- 
stand. 

His  judgment  on  this  question,  one  of  some  diffi- 
culty and  embarrassment,  is  thus  given  in  a  letter  to 


hev.  henry  martyn.  263 

Mr.  Corrie.  "Your  schools  flourish — blessed  be 
Oodi  The  Dinapore  school  is  resorted  to  from  all 
quarters,  even  from  the  other  side  of  the  river. 
The  Bankipore  school  is  also  going  on  well.  I  do 
not  institute  more  till  I  see  the  Christian  books  in- 
troduced. The  more  schools  the  more  noise,  and 
more  inquiry;  and  more  suspicion  of  its  being  of  a  po- 
litical nature.  Besides,  if  all  the  schools  were  to  come 
to  a  demur  together,  I  fear  their  deciding  against 
us;  but  if  one  or  two  schools,  with  much  thought 
about  it,  comply  with  our  wishes,  it  will  be  a  pre- 
cedent and  example  to  others.  /  think  you  should 
not  dictate  which  of  their  books  should  he  given,  but 
cnly  reserve  the  'power  of^^ejecting  amongst  those  which 
they  propose.  I  bless  God  that  you  are  brought  to 
act  with  me  in  a  broad  and  cautious  plan:  but  I  trust 
our  motto  shall  be,  'constant  though  cautious' — nev- 
er ceasing  to  keep  our  attention  fixed  steadily  on 
the  state  of  things;  and  being  swift  to  embrace 
every  opportunity." 

Amidst  many  causes  of  discouragement — from  the 
inattention  of  the  women  who  attended  his  exposi- 
tions on  the  Sabbath — the  general  profanation  of 
that  holy  day  by  Europeans,  notwithstanding  his 
solemn  and  repeated  remonstrances — and  the  vacil- 
lating conduct  of  some  of  his  flock,  whom  he  had 
hoped  to  have  seen  stronger  and  bolder  in  their 
Master's  cause — a  letter  from  a  young  officer  desir- 
ing, at  this  time,  an  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Martyn, 
on  a  religious  account,  was  to  him  a  source  of  the 


264  -MEBIOIR   OF 

most  cheering  delight:  and  yet,  before  the  receipt 
of  it,  he  could  bless  God,  that  he  "felt  impregnable 
to  any  discouragement— -it  was  not,"  said  he,  "that 
I  was  indifferent^  or  that  I  saw  some  encouraging  cir- 
cumstances— but  I  was  made  to  reflect,  that  I  was 
the  servant  of  God,  in  these  things,  and  that  he 
would  bring  his  purposes  to  pass,  some  way  or 
other." 

In  addition  to  Mr.  Martyn's  studies  in  Sanscrit, 
Persian,  and  Hindoostanee,  we  find  him  now  sedu- 
lously employed  in  reading  Leland  against  the  Deis- 
tical  Writers;  and  thence  drawing  out  arguments 
against  the  Koran.— But  being  fearful  lest,  in  the 
midst  of  these  pursuits,  his  spirit  should  decline  as 
to  far  more  important  points,  he  thus  speaks — 
"May  my  soul,  in  prayer,  never  rest  satisfied,  v/ith- 
out  the  enjoyment  of  God!  May  all  my  thoughts 
be  fixed  on  him!  May  I  sit  so  loose  to  every  em- 
ployment here,  that  I  may  able,  at  a  moment's  warn- 
ing, to  take  my  departure  for  another  world!  May 
I  be  taught  to  remember,  that  all  other  studies 
are  merely  subservient  to  the  great  work  of  minis- 
tering holy  things  to  immortal  souls!  May  the  most 
holy  works  of  the  ministry,  and  those  which  re- 
quire most  devotedness  of  soul,  be  the  most  dear  to 
my  heart!" 

Mr.  Martyn,  whilst  thus  occupied,  wa^  called  to 
\\\c  decision  of  a  practical  question  of  greater  mo- 
ment and  difliculty,  than  that  respecting  the  intro- 
duction   of    books    into    the   schools; — application 


REV.     HENRY    MARTYN,  2G5 

having  been  made  to  him  for  baptism,  by  one  of  the 
native  women.  This  request,  as  the  candidate 
manifested  no  signs  of  penitence  or  faith,  and  could 
by  no  means  be  made  to  comprehend  what  farther 
was  necessary  to  be  a  Christian,  than  to  say  the 
Lord's  Prayer — he  found  himself  compelled  to  re- 
fuse.— "The  party,"  said  he,  "went  away  in  great 
distress,  and  I  felt  much  for  them,  but  the  Lord,  I 
trust,  will  not  suffer  me  to  listen  to  my  own  feel- 
ings, and  profane  his  holy  ordinances."  That  this 
point  had  been  a  matter  of  anxious  consideration 
v^^ith  him,  we  learn  from  a  letter  to  Mr.  Corrie.^ — 
"Your  account  of  a  native  woman,  whom  you  bap- 
tized, came  in  season  for  me;  I  have  been  subjected 
to  similar  perplexities;  but  I  think  no  one  could  re- 
fuse baptism  in  the  case  you  mention.  The  woman 
w^ho  is  now  making  the  same  petition  here,  promises 
to  marry,  and  comes  frequently  for  instruction,  but 
her  heart  is  not  touched  with  any  tender  sense  of 
sin,  and  of  her  need  of  mercy.  Yet  if  there  be  no 
scandal  in  her  life,  and  she  profess  her  belief  in 
those  points,  in  which  they  are  interrogated,  in  the 
baptismal  service,  may  I  lawfully  refuse?  I  cannot 
tell  what  to  do;  I  seem  almost  resolved  not  to 
administer  the  ordinance,  till  convinced,  in  my  own 
mind,  of  the  true  repentance  of  the  person.  The 
eventual  benefit  will  be  great,  if  we  both  steadily 
adhere  to  this  purpose;  they  will  see  that  our  Chris- 
tians and  those  of  the  Papists  are  different,  and 
will  be  led  to  investigate  what  it  is  in  our  opinion 


266  V  MEMOIR  OF 

that  is  wanted."  The  determination  to  reject  those 
candidates  for  admission  into  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, who  were  manifestly  ignorant  of  the  spirit  of 
Christianity,  though  convinced  of  the  truth  of  it, 
was  fully  adopted  by  Mr.  Martyn,  after  mature  con- 
sideration, and  the  decision  doubtless  was  agreeable 
to  the  Word  of  God  and  to  the  practice  of  the 
primitive  times. 

Much  time,  we  have  already  seen,  had  been 
devoted  by  Mr.  Martyn  to  the  translation  of  the 
Scriptures  into  Hindoostanee,  both  before  and  since 
he  quitted  Calcutta.  To  these  exertions,  for  the 
honor  and  glory  of  God,  a  new  stimulus  was 
added,  by  a  proposal,  in  the  month  of  June  in  this 
year,  from  the  Rev.  David  Brown,  that  he  would 
engage  more  directly  in  that  important  work,  in 
which  he  had  already  proceeded  to  the  end  of  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles:  as  also  that  he  would  super- 
intend the  translation  of  the  Scriptures  into  Persian. 
This  proposal  he  eagerly,  yet  diffidently  accepted — 
and  animated  by  the  expectation  of  beholding  his 
labors  brought  to  a  successful  termination,  he  prose- 
cuted them  with  a  delight,  commensurate  with  his 
ardent  diligence. 

"The  time  fled  imperceptibly,"  he  observes,  "so 
delightfully  engaged  in  the  translations;  the  days 
seemed  to  have  passed  like  a  moment.  -  Blessed  be 
God  for  some  improvement  in  the  languages!  May 
every  thing  be  for  edification  in  the  church!  What 
do  I  not  owe  the  Lord,  for  permitting  me  to  take 


REV.    HENRY    MARTY  N^.  267 

part  in  a  translation  of  his  word — never  did  I  see 
such  wonder  and  wisdom  and  love  in  the  blessed 
book,  as  since  I  have  been  obliged  to  study  every 
expression;  and  it  is  a  delightful  reflection,  that 
death  cannot  deprive  us  of  the  pleasure  of  studying 
its  mysteries." 

"All  day  at  translations — employed  a  good  while 
at  night  in  considering  a  difficult  passage,  and  being 
much  enlightened  respecting  it,  I  went  to  bed  full  of 
astonishment,  at  the  wonder  of  God's  word:  never 
did  I  see  any  thing  of  the  beauty  of  the  language 
and  importance  of  the  thoughts  as  I  do  now.  I  felt 
happy,  that  I  should  never  be  finally  separated  from 
the  contemplation  of  them,  or  of  the  things  about 
which  they  are  written.  Knowledge  shall  vanish 
away,  but  it  shall  be  because  perfection  shall  come. 
Then  shall  I  see  as  I  am  seen,  and  know  as  I  am 
known." 

"What  a  source  of  perpetual  delight  have  I  in  the 
precious  book  of  God!  O  that  my  heart  were  more 
spiritual  to  keep  pace  with  my  understanding,  and 
that  I  could  feel  as  I  know!  May  my  root  and  foun- 
dation be  deep  in  loVfe,  and  may  I  be  able  to  compre- 
hend, with  all  saints,  Vhat  is  the  breadth,  length, 
and  depth,  and  height  and  to  know  the  love  of 
Christ  which  passeth  knowledge,  and  may  I  be  filled 
with  all  the  fulness  of  God!"  adding  in  his  accustomed 
spirit  of  incessant  watchfulness — "May  the  Lord,  in 
mercy  to  my  soul,  save  me  from  setting  up  an  idol  of 
any  sort  in  his  place,  as  I  do  by  preferring  even  a 


268  ^  .niiiAioiR.  OF 

work,  professedly  for  him,  to  a  communion  witli  him. 
How  obstinate  the  reluctance  of  the  natural  heart 
to  love  God!  But  O  mj  soul,  be  not  deceived,  thy 
chief  work  upon  earth  is  to  obtain  sanctification,  and 
to  walk  with  God.  'To  obey  is  better  than  sacrifice, 
and  to  hearken  than  the  fat  of  rams.'  Let  rae  learn 
from  this,  that  to  follow  the  direct  injunctions  of 
God,  about  my  own  soul,  is  more  my  duty,  than  to 
be  engaged  in  other  works,  under  pretence  of  doing 
him  service." 

Scarcely  had  Mr.  Martyn  girded  up  his  loins, 
with  the  great  and  heavenly  design  of  completing  a 
version  of  the  Scriptures  in  Hindoostanee,  and  super- 
intending one  in  the  Persian  tongue,  when  the  sove- 
reign, wise,  and  infinite  love  of  his  God,  summoned 
him  to  endure  an  affliction,  more  grievous  than  anv 
that  had  befallen  him,  since  those  first  bitter  tears 
which  he  shed  at  the  death  of  his  father. — Appre- 
hensions for  the  loss  of  his  eldest  sister  had  been  ex- 
cited in  his  mind,  by  some  expressions  she  herself 
had  dropped,  in  a  letter  which  reached  him  a  few 
weeks  before  he  received  the  fatal  intelligjence  that 
she  w^as  no  more.  A  period  df-  torturing  suspense, 
terminated  in  one  of  inexpressible  sorrow.  "But 
blessed  is  the  man  whom  thou  chastenest,  O  Lord." 
Gleams  of  this  blessedness  shone  fortli  from  the 
clouds  of  that  dark  dispensation  with,  which  Mr. 
Martyn  was  now  visited.  "O  my  heart,  my  heart,'' 
he  exclaimed,  "is  it,  can  it  be,  true,  that  she  has 
been  lying  so  many  months  in  the  cold  grave!  would 


REV,    HENRY     MARTYN.  269 

that  I  could  always  remember  it,  or  always  forget  it, 
but  to  think  for  a  moment  of  other  things,  and  then 
to  feel  the  remembrance  of  it  come,  as  if  for  the 
jfirst  time,  rends  my  heart  asunder.  When  I  look 
round  upon  the  creation,  and  think  that  her  eyes  see  it 
not,  but  have  closed  upon  it  for  ever;  that  I  lie  down 
in  my  bed,  but  that  she  has  lain  down  in  her  grave, 
O!  is  it  possible!  I  wonder  to  find  myself  still  in  life 
— that  the  same  tie  that  united  us  in  life,  had  not 
brought  death  at  the  same  moment  to  both.  O 
great  and  gracious  God!  what  should  I  do  without 
Thee!  But  now  thou  art  manifesting  thyself  as  the 
God  of  all  consolation  to  my  soul — never  was  I  so 
near  thee:  I  stand  on  the  brink,  and  I  long  to  take 
my  flight.  There  is  not  a  thing  in  the  world  for 
which  I  could  wish  to  live,  except  because  it  may 
please  God  to  appoint  me  some  work.  And  how 
shall  my  soul  be  ever  thankful  enough  to  thee,  O 
thou  most  incomprehensibly  glorious  Savior  Jesus! 
O  what  hast  thou  done  to  alleviate  the  sorrows  of 
life!  and  how  great  has  been  the  mercy  of  God  to- 
wards my  family,  in  saving  us  all!  How  dreadful 
would  be  the  separation  of  relations  in  death,  were 
it  not  for  Jesus." 

Mr.  Martyn's  mind,  under  this  painful  deprivation, 
was  comforted  exceedingly,  by  a  sure  and  certain 
hope,  as  it  respected  her  for  whom  he  mourned. 
That  delightful  expectation  of  meeting  her  in  glory, 
which  he  has  now  realized,  was  one  powerful  sup- 
port to  his  heart,  then  overwhelmed  within  him: 
35 


270  MEMOIR   OF 

% 

for  the  letter  which  contained  the  account  of  his  loss, 
left  him  happily  no  room  to  doubt  of  his  sister's  eter- 
nal gain;  and  that,  through  the  grave  and  gate  of 
death,  she  had  passed  into  the  consummation  of 
bliss,  in  the  eternal  and  everlasting  kingdom  of 
Christ. 

"The  European  letter,"  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Brown, 
"contained  the  intelligence  of  the  death  of  my 
eldest  sister.  A  few  lines  received  from  herself, 
about  three  weeks  ago,  gave  me  some  melancholy 
forebodings  of  her  danger.  But  though  the  Lord 
thus  compassionately  prepared  me  for  this  affliction, 
I  hardly  knew  how  to  bear  it.  We  were  more 
united  in  affection  to  one  another,  than  to  any  of  our 
relations;  and  now  she  is  gone,  I  am  left  to  fulfil,  as  a 
hireling,  my  day,  and  then  I  shall  follow  her.  She 
had  been  many  years  under  some  conviction  of  her 
sins,  but  not  till  her  last  illness  sought  in  earnest  for 
salvation.  Some  weeks  before  her  death  she  felt 
the  burthen  of  sin,  and  cried  earnestly  for  pardon 
and  deliverance,  and  continued  in  the  diligent  use  of 
the  appointed  means  of  grace.  Two  days  before 
her  death,  when  no  immediate  danger  was  appre- 
hended, my  youngest  sister  visited  her,  and  was  sur- 
prised and  delighted  at  the  change  which  had  taken 
place.  Her  convictions  of  sin  were  deep,  and  her 
views  clear,  her  only  fear  was  on  account  of  her 
own  unworthiness.  She  asked,  with  many  tears, 
whether  there  was  mercy  for  one  who  had  been  so 
great  a  sinner;  though  in  the  eyes  of  the  world  she 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  271 

had  been  an  exemplary  wife  and  mother:  and  said, 
$he  believed  the  Lord  would  have  mercy  upon  her, 
because  she  knew  he  had  wrought  on  her  mind  by 
his  Spirit.  Two  days  after  this  conversation,  she 
suddenly  and  unexpectedly  left  this  world  of  woe, 
while  her  sister  was  visiting  a  dying  friend  at  a  dis- 
tance. This  you  will  tell  me,  my  dear  Mr.  Brown, 
is  precious  consolation,  indeed  I  am  constrained  to 
acknowledge,  that  I  could  hardly  ask  for  greater, 
for  I  had  already  parted  with  her  for  ever,  in  this 
life,  and  after  that,  all  I  wished  for  was,  to  hear  of 
her  being  converted  to  God,  and  if  it  was  his  will, 
taken  away  in  due  time,  from  the  evil  to  come,  and 
brought  to  glory  before  me — yet  human  nature 
bleeds — her  departure  has  left  this  world  a  frightful 
blank  to  me,  and  I  feel  not  the  smallest  wish  to  live, 
except  there  be  some  work  assigned  for  me  to  do 
in  the  church  of  God." 

Acutely  as  Mr.  Martyn  suffered,  such  importance 
did  he  attach  to  those  studies,  which  had  in  view 
the  manifestation  of  the  Gospel  to  regions  >'sitting 
in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death,"  that  he 
omitted  the  prosecution  of  them,  at  this  period,  only 
for  a  single  day.  It  was  a  duty,  he  thought,  in- 
cumbent on  him  to  return  to  his  work,  as  soon  as 
possible,  however  heavily  his  mind  might  be  bur- 
thened;  for  his  expressions,  many  days  afterward, 
declare  into  what  depths  of  grief  he  was  sunk.  "My 
heart,"  said  he,  "is  still  oppressed,  but  it  is  not  a 
^sorrow   that   worketh  death.'       Though    nature 


272  MEMOIR   OF 

weeps  at  being  deprived  of  all  hopes  of  ever  see- 
ing this  dear  companion  on  earth,  faith  is  hereby 
brought  more  into  exercise.  How  sweet  to  feel 
dead  to  all  below,  to  live  only  for  eternity;  to  for- 
get the  short  interval  that  lies  between  us  and  the 
spiritual  world;  and  to  live  always  seriously.  The 
seriousness  which  this  sorrow  produces  is  indescrib- 
ably precious;  O  that  I  could  always  retain  it,  when 
these  impressions  shall  be  worn  away!  My  studies 
have  been  the  Arabic  Grammar  and  Persian — 
writing  Luke  for  the  women,  and  dictating  1  Pet.  i, 
to  Moonshee.  Finished  the  Gulistan  of  Sadi,  and 
began  it  again  to  mark  all  the  phrases  which  may  be 
of  use  in  the  translation  of  the  Scriptures." 

One  fruit  of  Mr.  Martyn's  prayers  and  result  of 
his  prudence,  was  the  successful  introduction,  shortly 
after  this,  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  into  his 
schools;  and  on  the  21st  of  September  he  had  the 
exquisite  joy  of  hearing  the  poor  Heathen  boys 
reading  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  ''A  wise 
man's  heart,"  saith  Solomon,  "discerneth  both  time 
and  judgment."  It  was  in  this  spirit  of  patient  and 
dependant  wisd  m,  that  Mr.  Martyn  had  acted*  re- 
specting the  schools,  and  it  was  the  same  rare  tem- 
per of  mind  which  prevailed  on  him  still  to  abstain 
from  preaching  publicly  to  the  natives:  again  and 
again  did  he  burn  to  begin  his  ministry  in  Patna — 
but  again  and  again  did  he  feel  deeply  the  impor- 
tance of  not  being  precipitate:  it  was  not,  however, 
without  much  difficulty,  that  he  checked  the  ardor  of 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYJ;.  273 

his  zeal.  He  was  determined  to  see  what  the  insti- 
tution of  schools,  and  the  quiet  distribution  of  the 
Scriptures  would  effect;  and  was  convinced,  that 
public  preaching  at  first,  wdiS  incompatible  with  this 
plan  of  procedure,  whereas  it  was  clear  that  a  way 
would  thus  be  opened  for  preaching,  of  which  ob- 
ject he  never  lost  sight.  It  was  this  which  made 
him  resist  the  solicitations  of  those  friends,  who 
would  have  detained  him  at  Calcutta;  and  this  it 
was  which  now  occasioned  him  to  decline  a  very 
pressing  invitation  from  Mr.  Brown,  urging  him  to 
take  the  Missionary  Church  at  the  Presidency.  But 
Dinapore  was  in  the  midst  of  the  Heathen;  and  Di- 
napore,  further,  was  a  scene  of  tranquil  retirement. 
These  two  considerations,  caused  Mr.  Martyn  to 
refuse  to  comply  with  the  very  earnest  desire  of  one 
whom  he  entirely  esteemed  and  loved.  "If  ever  I 
am  fixed  at  Calcutta,"  he  wrote  in  reply,  "I  have 
done  Avith  the  natives,  for  notwithstanding  previous 
determinations,  the  churches  and  people  at  Calcutta 
are  enough  to  employ  twenty  Ministers.  This  is 
one  reason  for  my  apparently  unconquerable  aver- 
sion to  being  fixed  there.  The  happiness  of  being 
near  and  with  you,  and  your  dear  family,  would  not 
be  a  compensation  for  the  disappointment;  and  hav- 
ing said  this,  I  know  of  no  stronger  method  of  my 
expressing  my  dislike  to  the  measure.  If  God  com- 
mands it,  I  trust  I  shall  have  grace  to  obey:  but  let 
me  beseech  you  all,  to  take  no  step  towards  it,  for 
I  shall  resist  it  as  long  as  I  can  with  a  safe  con- 


274  MEMOIR    OF 

"I  am  happier  here  in  this  remote  land,"  he  wrote 
in  his  Journal,  "where  I  hear  so  seldom  of  what 
happens  in  the  world,  than  in  England,  where  there 
are  so  many  calls  to  look  at  the  things  that  are  seen. 
How  sweet  the  retirement  in  which  I  live  here. 
The  precious  word,  now  my  only  study,  by  means  of 
translations.  Though  in  a  manner  buried  from  the 
world,  neither  seeing  nor  seen  by  Europeans,  here 
the  time  flows  on  with  great  rapidity:  it  seems  as  if 
life  would  be  gone,  before  any  thing  is  done,  or  even 
before  any  thing  is  begun.  I  sometimes  rejoice  that 
I  am  not  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  and  that,  unless 
God  should  order  it  otherwise,  I  may  double  the 
number  in  constant  and  successful  labor.  If  not, 
God  has  many,  many  more  instruments  at  command^ 
and  I  shall  not  cease  from  my  happiness,  and  scarcely 
from  my  work,  by  departing  into  another  world.  O 
what  shall  separate  us  from  the  love  of  Christ!  nei- 
ther death  nor  life,  I  am  persuaded.  O  let  me  feel  my 
security,  that  I  may  be,  as  it  were,  already  in  heav- 
en; that  I  may  do  all  my  work,  as  the  angels  do 
theirs;  and  O  let  me  be  ready  for  every  work!  be 
ready  to  leave  this  delightful  solitude,  or  remain  in 
it;  to  go  out,  or  go  in;  to  stay,  or  depart,  just  as  the 
Lord  shall  appoint.  Lord,  let  me  have  no  will  of 
my  own;  or  consider  my  true  happiness  as  depend- 
ing, in  the  smallest  degree,  on  any  thing  that  can 
befal  the  outward  man,  but  as  consisting  altogether 
in  conformity  to  God's  will.  May  I  have  Christ 
here  with  me  in  this  world,  not  substituting  imagin- 


REV.     HENRY    MARTl'Ni  275 

ation  in  the  place  of  faith;  but  seeing  outward 
things  as  they  really  are,  and  thus  obtaining  a  radical 
conviction  of  their  vanity." 

Mr.  Martyn's  spirits  being  much  depressed  by  his 
recent  affliction,  an  invitation  or  rather  entreaty, 
strongly  pressed  upon  him  by  one,  who  had  a  great 
share  in  his  affection  and  esteem,  which  called,  as  he 
conceived,  for  a  direct  and  firm  rejection,  could  not 
but  be  a  matter  of  some  trial  to  him.  He  had  not, 
however,  the  additional  pain  of  witnessing  the  slight- 
est variation  in  his  friend's  attachment:  a  circum- 
stance, which  does  not  always  occur  on  similar  occa- 
sions: for  the  fondness  even  of  Christian  friendship, 
"will  sometimes  suffer  an  interruption,  upon  a  disa- 
greement, respecting  favorite  projects  and  designs. 

To  this  perturbation  of  mind,  comparatively  light, 
a  very  severe  disappointment  from  another  quarter 
succeeded — a  disappointment  intended,  doubtless, 
like  his  other  troubles,  for  the  augmentation  of  his 
faith.  Such  strong  representations  had  been  made, 
by  those  whose  judgment  he  valued  not  a  little,  re- 
specting the  dreariness  of  a  distant  station  in  India, 
and  the  evils  of  solitude,  that  he  had  deemed  it 
agreeable  to  the  will  of  God,  to  make  an  overture 
of  marriage  to  her,  for  whom  time  had  increased, 
rather  than  diminished,  his  affection.  This  over- 
ture, for  reasons  which  afterwards  commended 
themselves  to  Mr.  Martyn's  own  judgment,  was  now 
declined;  on  which  occasion,  suffermg  sharply  as  a 
man,  but  most  meekly  as  a  Christian,  he  said,  "the 


276  MEMOIR    OF 

Lord  sanctiiy  this;  and  since  this  last  desire  of  my 
heart  is  also  Avithheld,  may  I  turn  away  for  ever 
from  the  world,  and  henceforth  Hve  forgetful  of  all 
but  God.  With  thee,  O  my  God,  is  no  disappoint- 
ment. I  shall  never  have  to  regret,  that  I  have 
loved  thee  too  well.  Thou  hast  said,  'delight  thy- 
self in  the  Lord,  and  he  shall  give  thee  the  desires 
of  thy  heart.'  " 

"At  first  I  was  more  grieved,"  he  wrote  sometime 
afterwards,  "at  the  loss  of  my  gourd,  than  of  the 
perishing  Ninevehs  all  around  me:  but  now  my 
earthly  woes,  and  earthly  attachments,  seem  to  be 
absorbing  in  the  vast  concern  of  communicating  the 
Gospel  to  these  nations.  After  this  last  lesson 
from  God,  on  the  vanity  of  the  creature,  I  feel  de- 
sirous to  be  nothing — to  have  nothing — to  ask  for 
nothing  but  what  he  gives." 

Providentially  for  Mr.  Martyn's  comfort,  his 
thoughts  were  much  occupied,  just  after  the  receipt 
of  this  letter,  by  the  arrival  of  his  co-adjutors  in  the 
work  of  translation;  one  of  them,  Mirza  of  Benares, 
well  known  in  India  as  an  eminent  scholar  in  the 
Hindoostanee;  the  other,  Sabat  the  Arabian,  but 
too  well  known  both  in  India  and  England  for  his 
rejection  of  that  faith,  which  he  then  appeared  to 
possess  in  sincerity  and  truth.  In  the  latter  of  these, 
Mr.  Martyn  confidently  trusted  that  he  had  found  a 
Christian  brother.  Nor  were  these  hopes,  respect- 
ing Sabat's  religious  character,  more  sanguine  than 
both  in  reason  and  charity,  he  might  fairly  have  en- 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  277 

tertained.  Of  his  abilities  a  most  favorable  report 
had  been  made  by  Dr.  Ker  of  Madras,  who  repre- 
sented him,  as  a  man  of  good  family  in  Arabia,  as 
having  been  employed  as  an  expounder  of  Mahome- 
tan law  at  Masulipatam,  and  as  being  well  skilled  in 
the  literature  of  his  country.  With  respect  to  the 
reality  of  his  belief  in  Christianity,  although  Mr. 
Martyn  immediately  discovered  in  him  an  unsubdued 
Arab  spirit,  and  witnessed,  with  pain,  many  deflec- 
tions from  that  temper  and  conduct  which  he  him- 
self so  eminently  exemplified;  yet  he  could  not  but 
believe  all  things,  and  hope  all  things,  even  while  he 
continued  to  suffer  much  from  him,  and  for  a  length 
of  time  with  unparalleled  forbearance  and  kindness. 
How  could  he  allow  himself  to  cherish  any  doubt, 
when  he  beheld  the  tears  he  shed  in  prayer,  and 
listened  to  the  confessions  he  made  of  his  sinfulness, 
and  to  the  professions  he  uttered  of  his  willingness 
to  correct  whatever  was  reprehensible  in  his  be- 
havior. No  sooner  had  he  arrived  at  Dinapore, 
than  he  opened  to  Mr.  Martyn  the  state  of  his 
mind;  declaring,  with  seeming  contrition,  that  the 
constant  sin  he  found  in  his  heart  filled  him  with 
fear.  "If  the  Spirit  of  Christ  is  given  to  believers, 
why,  said  he,  am  I  thus,  after  three  years  believing? 
I  determine  every  day  to  keep  Christ  crucified  in 
sight;  but  I  forget  to  think  of  him!  I  can  rejoice 
when  I  think  of  God's  love  in  Christ;  but  then  I 
am  like  a  sheep  that  feeds  happily,  whilst  he  looks 
only  at  the  pasturage  before  him,  but  when  he  looks 
36 


278  JVIEMOIR    OF 

behind  and  sees  the  Hon,  he  cannot  eat."  "His  Hfe 
(he  avowed)  was  of  no  value  to  him;  the  experience 
he  had  had  of  the  instabihty  of  the  world  had 
Aveaned  him  from  it;  his  heart  was  like  a  looking- 
glass,  fit  for  nothing  except  to  be  given  the  glass- 
maker,  to  be  moulded  anew."  Can  we  wonder, 
concerning  one  who  uttered,  with  apparent  sincerity 
and  much  earnestness,  such  sentiments  as  these,  that 
Mr.  Martyn  should  observe  to  Mr.  Brown,  who 
had  sent  him  from  Calcutta  to  Dinapore,  "not  to 
esteem  him  a  monument  of  grace,  and  love  him,  is 
impossible."  And  truly,  notwithstanding  all  that 
time  has  since  developed,  who  will  not  hesitate  in 
attributing  to  Sabat,  the  guilt  of  a  systematic  and 
well-concerted  tissue  of  hypocrisy;  and  not  rather 
conclude  that  his  judgment  was  at  that  time  en- 
lightened, and  his  heart  in  some  measure  impressed, 
with  a  sense  of  what  he  believed?  Very  soon,  in- 
deed, was  Mr.  Martyn  called  to  rejoice  over  this 
Mahometan  convert  with  great  fear  and  trembling; 
for  scarcely  had  he  reached  Dinapore,  w^hen  the 
violence  of  his  temper  began  to  manifest  itself.  The 
first  Sunday  after  he  came  to  church,  conceiving 
that  all  due  respect  was  not  shewn  him,  he  would 
not  wait  till  service  began,  but  abruptly  left  the 
church  and  returned  home;  yet,  on  Mr.  Martyn's 
expostulations  at  his  turning  his  back  upon  the  house 
of  God,  on  account  of  an  insult  which  was  unintend- 
ed, he  instantly  confessed,  with  seeming  humiliation. 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  279 

that  he  had  two  dispositions,  one  his  old  one,  which 
was  a  soldier's,  and  the  other  a  Christian's. 

Many  other  signs  of  an  unhumbled  spirit  in  Sabat 
gave  rise  to  many  differences,  which  were  singu- 
larly distressing  to  a  man  of  such  meekness  as  Mr. 
Martyn.     Even  before  the  conclusion  of  that  year, 
which  when  Sabat  entered    under   Mr.   Martyn's 
roof,  was  drawing  to  its  close,  he  was  so  grieved  at 
his  spirit,  that  he  could  find  relief  only  in  prayers 
for  him. — Yet   however  disquieted  he   might  and 
could  not  but  be,  at  what  he  was   called   hourly 
to  witness  in  one   brought  into  such  near  contact 
with   him,   and  bearing  the   name    of  a  Christian 
brother,  his  own  mind  nevertheless  enjoyed  a  large 
measure  of  "that  perfect  peace"  in  which  those  are 
kept  whose  minds  are  stayed  on  God.     He   was 
continually  "rejoicing  in  the  solid  ground  of  Jesus'" 
imputed  righteousness;"  the  greatness,  the  magnifi- 
cence, the  wisdom  of  which,  filled  his  mind,  and  he 
was  continually  thinking,  "O  how  is  every  hour  lost 
that  is  not  spent  in  the  love  and  contemplation  of 
God,  my  God.     O  send  out  thy  light  and  thy  truth, 
that  I  may  live  always  sincerely,  always  aflfection- 
ately,  towards  God!"    "To  live  without  sin  I  cannot 
expect  in  this  world,  but  to  desire  to  live  without  it 
may  be  the  experience  of  every  moment;"  and  he 
closed  the  year  like  him  who,  at  the  end  of  a  psalm 
of    holy  and  joyful   aspirations,  exclaims,  "I  have 
gone  astray  like  a  lost  sheep,"  in  the  following  strain 
of  brokenness  of  spirit  and  abasement  of  soul:  "I 


280  MEMOIR    OF 

seem  to  myself  permitted  to  exist  only  through  the 
inconceivable  compassion  of  God.  When  I  think  of 
my  shameful  incapacity  for  the  ministry,  arising 
from  my  neglect,  I  see  reason  to  tremble,  though 
I  cannot  weep.  I  feel  willing  to  be  a  neglected  out- 
cast, unfit  to  be  made  useful  to  others,  provided  my 
dear  brethren  are  prosperous  in  their  ministry." 

In  the  midst  of  various  Aveighty  employments, 
and  in  the  midst  of  much  tribulation,  Mr.  Martyn 
passed  into  the  year  1808,  on  the  first  day  of  which 
he  thus  reverted  to  his  past  life! — "Few  or  no  chan- 
ges have  occurred  in  the  course  of  the  last  year.  I 
have  been  more  settled  than  for  many  years  past. 
The  events  which  have  taken  place,  most  nearly- 
interesting  to  myself,  are,  my  sister's  death,  and  my 
disappointment  about  *  *  *;  on  both  these  afflictions 
I  have  seen  love  inscribed,  and  that  is  enough. 
What  I  think  I  want,  it  is  still  better  to  want:  but 
I  am  often  wearied  with  this  world  of  woe.  I  set 
my  affections  on  the  creature,  and  am  then  torn  from 
it;  and  from  various  other  causes,  particularly  the 
prevalence  of  sin  in  my  heart,  I  am  often  so  full  of 
melancholy,  that  I  hardly  know  what  to  do  for  relief. 
Sometimes  I  say,  *0  that  I  had  wings  like  a  dove, 
then  would  I  flee  away  and  be  at  rest;'  at  other 
times,  in  my  sorrow  about  the  creature,  I  have  no 
wish  left  for  my  heavenly  rest.  It  is  the  grace  and 
favor  of  God  that  have  saved  me  hithertoi^my  igno- 
rance, waywardness,  and  wickedness  would  long 
since  have  plunged  me  into  misery;  but  there  seems 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  281 

to  be  a  mighty  exertion  of  mercy  and  grace  upon  my 
sinful  nature  every  day,  to  keep  me  from  perishing 
at  last.  My  attainments  in  the  Divine  Life,  in  this 
last  year,  seem  to  be  none  at  all;  I  appear,  on  the 
contrary,  to  be  more  self-willed  and  perverse,  and 
more  like  many  of  my  countrymen,  in  arrogance  and 
a  domineering  spirit  over  the  natives.  The  Lord 
save  me  from  my  wickedness!  Henceforth  let  my 
soul,  humbly  depending  on  the  grace  of  Christ,  per- 
fect holiness  in  the  fear  of  God,  and  shew  towards 
all  Europeans  and  Natives,  the  mind  that  was  in 
Christ  Jesus!" 

In  the  beginning  of  this  year,  Mr.  Martyn's  situ- 
ation at  Dinapore  was  rendered  far  less  agreeable, 
much  as  he  loved  retirement,  by  the  removal  of  the 
only  family  with  whom  he  lived  upon  terms  of  Chris- 
tian intimacy;  a  family  for  whom  he  had  no  common 
affection;  to  whom  he  had  been  the  means  of  first 
imparting  serious  impressions;  whom  he  had  exhort- 
ed, watched  over,  and  prayed  for,  and  whom  he  un- 
ceasingly followed  with  his  intercessions,  when  he 
could  no  longer  reach  them  with  his  exhortations. 
"The  departure  of '^  *  *  (he  writes,)  seemed  to  leave 
me  without  human  comfort;  my  regard  for  them  has 
increased  very  much  of  late;  I  have  seen  marks  of 
grace  more  evidently.  It  is  painful  to  be  deprived 
of  them  just  at  this  time;  yet  the  Lord  knoweth 
them  that  are  his,  and  will  keep  them,  through  faith, 
unto  eternal  salvation." 


282  MEMOIR    OF 

This  separation  affected  him  the  more  sensibly, 
because  it  was  not  with  every  family,  at  that  station, 
that  he  met  with  a  kind,  much  less  a  cordial,  recep- 
tion. "1  called,"  says  he,  "on  the  15th  of  January, 
on  one  of  the  Dinapore  families,  and  felt  my  pride 
rise  at  the  uncivil  manner  in  which  I  was  received. 
I  was  disposed,  at  first,  to  determine  never  to  visit 
the  house  again,  but  I  remembered  the  words, 'over- 
come evil  with  good.'  " 

So  much  as  Mr.  Martyn  was  concerned  for  the 
salvation  of  the  Heathen,  it  will  readily  be  surmised, 
that  the  state  of  the  JVative  Christians^  sunk  as 
they  were  into  a  condition  of  equal  ignorance  and 
wickedness  with  the  Heathen,  would  excite  his  pe- 
culiar sympathy  and  anxiety.  Their  lamentable 
case  was  never  forgotten  by  him.  At  the  com- 
mencement of  the  present  year,  especially,  it  lay  so 
near  his  heart,  that  he  resolved  to  ascertain  what 
might  be  effected  in  behalf  of  those  wretched  peo- 
ple at  Patna,  w^ho  had  a  name  to  live,  but  were 
dead.  Without  loss  of  time,  therefore,  he  made 
an  offer  to  the  Roman  Catholics  there,  of  preaching 
to  them  on  Sundays — but  the  proposal  was  rejected: 
had  it  been  accepted,  he  purposed  to  have  made  it 
the  ground-work  of  a  more  extensive  publication  of 
the  Gospel  to  the  inhabitants  at  large.  "Millions 
perishing  (he  said,  much  affected  at  the  reflection,) 
in  the  neighborhood  of  one  who  can  preach  the 
Gospel  to  them!  how  wonderful!  I  trust  the  Lord 
will  open  a  great  and  effectual  door.  O  for  faith, 
zeal,  courage,  love!" 


REV.    HENRY    INIARTYN.  283 

In  consequence  of  the  state  of  the  weather  at 
this  season  of  the  year,  the  pubHc  celebration  of 
Divine  Service  on  the  Sabbath,  was  suspended  for 
a  considerable  time  at  Dinapore;  a  circumstance  as 
painful  to  Mr.  Martjn,  as  it  was  pleasing  to  the 
careless  and  worldly  part  of  his  congregation.  Upon^ 
the  serious  inconvenience,  and  yet  more  serious  det- 
riment, to  the  spiritual  interest  of  his  flock,  in  being 
destitute  of  a  church,  he  had  already  presented  a 
memorial  to  the  Governor-General,  and  orders  to 
provide  a  proper  place  for  Public  Worship  had  been 
issued;  nothing  effectual,  however,  was  yet  done^  and 
Mr.  Martyn's  love  of  the  souls  entrusted  to  him,  not 
allowing  him  to  bear  the  thought  of  their  being 
scattered  for  a  length  of  time,  as  sheep  without  a 
shepherd,  he  came  to  the  resolution  of  opening  his 
own  house,  as  a  place  in  which  the  people  might  as- 
semble in  this  emergency.  About  the  middle  of 
February,  he  writes,  "As  many  of  the  European 
regiment  as  were  effective,  were  accommodated  un- 
der my  roof;  and,  praise  be  to  God,  we  had  the 
public  ordinances  once  more.  My  text  was  from 
Isaiah  iv,  5.  'The  Lord  will  create  upon  every 
dwelling-place  of  Mount  Zion,  and  upon  her  assem- 
blies, a  cloud  and  smoke  by  day,  and  the  shining  of 
a  flaming  fire  by  night:  for  upon  all  the  glory  shall 
be  a  defence.'  In  the  afternoon,  I  waited  for  the 
women,  but  not  one  came:  perhaps  notice  had  not 
been  given  them,  by  some  mistake.  At  the  hospi- 
tal, and  with  the  men  at  night,  I  was  engaged,  as 


284  V  JMEiMOlR   OF 

usual,  in  prayer:  my  soul  panted  alter  the  living 
God,  but  it  remained  tied  and  bound  with  corrup- 
tion. I  felt  as  if  I  would  have  given  the  world  to 
be  brought  to  be  alone  with  God,  and  the  promise 
that  this  is  the  will  of  God,  even  our  sanctification, 
was  the  right  hand  that  upheld  me  while  I  followed 
after  him.  When  low  in  spirits,  through  an  unwil- 
lingness to  take  up  the  cross,  I  found  myself  more 
resigned,  by  endeavoring  to  realize  the  thought  that 
had  often  composed  me  in  my  trials  on  board  the 
ship — that  1  was  born  to  suffer:  suffering  is  my  daily 
appointed  portion:  let  this  reconcile  me  to  every 
thing!  To  have  a  will  of  my  own,  not  agreeable  to 
God's,  is  a  most  tremendous  wickedness.  I  own  it 
is  so  for  a  few  moments:  but.  Lord,  write  it  on  my 
heart!  In  perfect  meekness  and  resignation  let  me 
take  what  befals  me  in  the  path  of  duty,  and  never 
dare  to  think  of  being  dissatisfied."  As  far  as  it 
respected  Mr.  Martyn's  health,  a  temporary  inter- 
ruption of  his  ministerial  duty  would  have  proved  a 
favorable  occurrence:  he  was  begiiming  again  to  suf- 
fer from  some  severe  pains  in  the  chest,  which  first 
attacked  him  in  the  autumn  of  the  preceding  year: 
"desirins:  to  be  as  a  flame  of  fire  in  the  service  of 
his  God,  and  panting  for  the  full  employment  of 
every  day,  the  early  morning,  as  well  as  the  closing 
evening,  found  him  engaged  in  his  delightful  labors. 
But  he  perceived  that  the  body  could  not  keep 
pace  with  his  soul,  in  this  career  of  unceasing  ac- 
tivity: "the  earthly  tabernacle  weighed  down  the 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  285 

spirit  whilst  musing  upon  many  things,"  and  com- 
pelled him,  for  a  while  at  least,  to  moderate  the  ve- 
hemence of  these  exertions.  By  the  month  of 
March,  however,  that  great  work,  for  which  myri- 
ads in  the  ages  yet  to  come  will  gratefully  remember 
and  revere  the  name  of  Martyn — the  version  of  the 
JVeiv  Testament  into  Hindoo stanet^  was  brought  to  a 
completion;  nor,  if  we  consider  how  much  time  he 
had  spent  upon  it,  ever  since  he  arrived  at  Calcutta, 
and  how  laboriously  he  prosecuted  it,  after  Mr. 
Brown  had  summoned  him  to  direct  all  his  eiiorts 
to  that  end,  can  it  be  affirmed  that  it  was  hurried 
to  a  conclusion  with  a  heedless  and  blameable  pre- 
cipitancy. 

**'Twas  not  the  hasty  product  of  a  day; 
But  the  well-ripeued  fruit  of  Avise  delay.'* 

"It  is  a  real  refreshment  to  my  spirit,  (Mr.  Mar- 
tyn remarks  to  Mr.  Corrie,  just  at  the  moment  of 
sending  off  the  first  page  of  the  Testament  to  Cal- 
cutta, in  the  beginning  of  x^ipril,)  to  take  up  my  pen 
to  write  to  you. — Such  a  vreek  for  labor  I  believe 
I  never  passed,  not  excepting  even  the  last  week 
before  going  into  the  Senate-House.  I  have  read 
and  corrected  the  manuscript  copies  of  my  Hindoos- 
tanee  Testament  so  often,  that  my  eyes  ache.  The 
heat  is  terrible,  often  at  98*^;  the  nights  insupport- 
able." Such  was  his  energy  in  a  climate  tending  to 
beguile  him  into  ease  and  indolence;  so  entirely 
"whatever  he  had  to  do.  did  he  do  it  with  all  his 
might." 


286  MEMOIR   OP 

Througlioiit  the  remainder  of  the  year  1808.  Mr. 
Martjn's  Hfe  flowed  on  in  the  same  course  of  use- 
fulness and  uniformity.  He  continued  to  minister  to 
the  Europeans  and  the  Natives  at  the  hospital,  and 
daily  received  the  more  religious  part  of  his  flock  at 
his  own  house,  whilst  his  health  permitted:  to  this 
was  added  the  revisal  of  the  sheets  of  the  Hindoos- 
tanee  version  of  the  Testament,  which  he  had  com- 
pleted; the  superintendance  of  the  Persian  transla- 
tion, confided  to  Sabat;  and  the  study  of  Arabic, 
that  he  might  be  fully  competent  to  superintend 
another  version  of  the  Testament  into  that  tongue. 
From  the  even  tenor  of  a  life  like  this,  it  cannot  be 
expected  that  incidents  of  a  very  striking  nature 
should  arise:  yet  the  description  which  he  himself  has 
given  of  it,  in  the  following  extracts  from  a  free  and 
frequent  correspondence  with  his  endeared  friends 
and  brethren,  the  Rev.  David  Brown  and  the  Rev. 
Daniel  Corrie,  will  not  be  wholly  devoid  of  interest 
to  those  who  have  hitherto  watched  him,  with  love 
and  admiration,  in  his  way  towards  Heaven. 


TO    THE    REV.    D.    BROWN 


"April  U,  180S. 

**This  day  I  have  received  yours  of  the  8th:  like 
the  rest  of  your  letters,  it  set  my  thoughts  on  full 
gallop,  from  which  I  can  hardly  recover  my  breath. 
Sabat's  letter  I  hesitate  to  give  him,  lest  it  should 
«iake  him  unhappy  again.     He  is  at  this  moment 


REV.  HENRY  MARTYN.  287 

more  quiet  and  Christian  in  his  deportment,  than  I 
have  jet  seen  him.  Arabic  now  employs  my  few 
moments  of  leisure.  In  consequence  of  reading  the 
Koran  with  Sabat  audibly,  and  drinking  no  wine, 
the  slander  is  gone  forth  amongst  the  Christians  at 
Patna,  that  the  Dinapore  Padre  is  turned  MussuK 


TO    THE    SAME. 

^pril2&,  1808. 

"This  day  I  sent  off  a  chapter  of  Hindoostanee 
of  St.  Matthew;  the  name  I  design  for  my  work  is 
— Benoni,  the  son  of  my  affliction:  for  through  great 
tribulation  will  it  come  out.  Sabat  has  kept  me 
much  upon  the  fret  this  week:  when  we  had  reach- 
ed the  ninth  chapter,  the  idea  seized  him,  that 
Mirza  might  receive  some  honor  from  his  inspect- 
ing the  work.  He  stopped  immediately,  and  say 
what  I  Avill,  he  determines  not  to  give  me  the 
smallest  help  in  correcting  the  Hindoostanee." 


TO   THE    REV.    P.    CORRIE. 

May  9y  1808. 


"Sabat  having  one  of  his  head-aches,  leaves  me 
at  liberty  to  take  a  complete  sheet.  This  week 
has  passed,  as  usual,  in  comparing  the  Persian  and 
Greek;  yet  we  are  advanced  no  further  than  the 


238  vMEMOIR  OF 

end  of  the  15tb  of  Matthew.  Notwithstanding  the 
vexation  and  disappointment  Sabat  has  occasioned 
me,  I  have  enjoyed  a  more  peaceable  week  than 
ever  since  his  arrival.  I  do  not  know  how  you  find 
the  heat,  but  here  it  is  drer.dful;  in  one  person's 
quarters  yesterday  it  was  at  102^:  perhaps  on  that 
account  scarcely  any  women  came.  Another  rea* 
son  I  assign  is,  that  I  rebuked  one  of  them  last  Sun- 
day, yet  very  gentl}-,  for  talking  and  laughing  in 
the  church  before  I  came;  so  yesterday  they  shew- 
ed their  displeasure  by  not  coming  at  all.  I  spoke 
to  them  on  the  Parable  of  the  Great  Supper:  the 
old  woman,  who  is  always  so  exemplary  in  her 
attention,  shed  many  tears;  I  have  endeavored  to 
speak  to  her  sometimes,  but  she  declines  conversa- 
tion: I  feel  interested  about  her,  there  is  so  much 
sorrow  and  meekness  depictured  in  her  counte- 
nance, but  she  always  crosses  herself  after  the 
service  is  over.  Yesterday,  for  the  first  tim.e,  I 
baptized  a  child  in  Hindoostanec.— My  Europeans, 
this  v.'cek,  have  not  attended  very  well — fifteen  in-. 
stead  of  twenty-five;  some  of  tliem,  indeed,  are  in 
the  hospital:  the  hospital  is  a  town  of  itself — how 
shall  I  ever  be  faithful  to  them  all!" 


to     tHE    REV.    D.    BR0W>.       ' 

May  3\,  1808. 

"Yours  of  the  24th  instant  arrived  to>day,  and 
relieved   me   from  much  anxiety  respecting  your 


REV.  HENRY  MARTYN.  289 

own  health.  Still  you  do  not  say  whether  the 
Hindoostanee  sheets  are  arrived.  1  do  not  wonder 
at  your  inquiring  about  the  Persian. — To-day  we 
finished  comparing  St.  Matthew  with  the  Greek,  if 
it  may  be  called  a  comparison;  for,  partly  owing  to 
the  errors  of  the  scribe,  rendering  whole  verses 
unintelligible,  and  partly  on  account  of  Sabat's  anx- 
iety to  preserve  the  rhythm,  which  often  required 
the  change  of  a  whole  sentence  for  a  single  word, 
it  is  a  new  translation;  we  have  labored  hard  at  it 
to-day,  from  six  in  the  morning  till  four  in  the  after- 


TO    THE     REV.     D.    BROWN, 


June  7,  1808. 


"This  day  Ave  have  sent  the  Persian  of  St.  Mat-^ 
thew.  Sabat  is  not  a  little  proud  of  it.  Your  de- 
sign of  announcing  the  translation,  as  printed  at  the 
expense  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  I 
highly  approve;  1  wish  to  see  honor  put  upon  so  god- 
iike  an  Institution,  Mirza  returned  yesterday,  and 
again  there  are  symptoms  of  disquiet  in  Sabat. — - 
Pray  for  us." 


TO     THE    REV.    D.    CORRIE. 

*'June  IG,  1808. 


"To-day  we  have  completed  the  Persian  of  St. 
Matthew^  and  to-morrow  it  is  to  be  sent  off  to  be 


290  AfEMOIR    OF 

printed.  Sabat  desired  me  to  kneel  down  to  bless 
God  for  the  happy  event,  and  we  joined  in  praise 
to  the  Father  of  Lights.  It  is  a  superb  perform- 
ance in  every  respect.  Sabat  is  prodigiously  proud 
of  it:  I  wish  some  mistakes  may  not  he  found  in  it  to 
put  him  to  shame.  Among  the  events  of  the  late 
week  is  the  earthquake;  we  were  just  reading  the 
passage  of  the  26th  of  Matthew,  on  earthquakes  in 
divers  places,  when  I  felt  my  chair  shake  under 
me,  then  some  pieces  of  the  plaister  fell,  on  which 
I  sprang  up  and  ran  out — the  doors  had  still  a 
tremulous  motion.  The  edition  of  the  Gospel  must 
be  announced  as  printed  at  the  expense  of  the  British 
and  Foreign  Bible  Society.''^ 


TO     THE     REV.     D.    CORRIE. 

*  'Bankipore,  June  2  3, 1 808. 

"I  GROAN  at  the  wickedness  and  infidelity  of  men, 
and  seem  to  stretch  my  neck  every  way  to  espy  a 
righteous  man.  All  at  Dinapore  treat  the  Gospel 
with  contempt:  here  there  is  nothing  but  infidelity. 
I  am  but  just  arrived,  and  am  grieved  to  find  in  my 
old  friend  *  *  *  less  proofs  of  real  acquaintance  with 
the  Gospel  than  I  used  to  hope.  On  my  way  here 
I  called  on  Col.  *  =^  =*,  and  advised  him  to  marry  or 
separate — the  constant  alternative  1  am  ever  in- 
sistinsf  on.  As  soon  as  I  arrived,  Mr.  '*  **  in- 
formed  me  that  the  reason  whv  no  one  came  to 
hear  me  was,  that  I  preached  faith  ivithout  works.^ 


REV.  HENRY  MARTYN.  29 1 

and  that  little  sins  are  as  had  as  great  ones,  and  that 
thus  I  tempted  them  to  become  great  sinners. 
A  young  civilian,  who  some  time  ago  came  to  me, 
desiring  satisfaction  on  the  evidences  of  Christianity, 
and  to  whom  I  sp.oke  very  freely,  and  with  some 
regard,  as  I  could  not  doubt  his  sincerity,  now  holds 
me  up  to  ridicule.  Thus,  through  evil  report,  we 
go  on.  O,  my  brother!  how  happy  I  feel,  that  all 
have  not  forsaken  Christ;  that  I  am  not  left  alone, 
even  in  India.  'Cast  thy  burden  on  the  Lord,  and  he 
shall  sustain  thee,'  is  the  text  I  carry  about  with 
me,  and  I  can  recommend  it  to  any  body  as  an  infalli- 
ble preservative  from  the  fever  of  anxiety. 


TO    THS:     SAME, 


«Jww  20,  180S. 

"The  day  after  I  wrote  to  you  from  Bankipore,  I 
called  on  the  Nawaub,  Babir  Ali  Khan,  celebrated 
for  his  sense  and  liberality.  I  staid  two  hours  with 
him,  conversing  in  Persian,  but  badly.  He  began 
the  theological  discussion,  with  requesting  me  to  ex- 
plain necessity  and  free  will:  I  instantly  pleaded 
ignorance.  He  gave  his  own  opinion;  on  which  I 
asked  him  his  proofs  of  the  religion  of  Mahomet. 
pis  first  argument  was  the  eloquence  of  the  Koran, 
but  he  at  last  acknowledged  it  was  insufficient.  I 
then  brouglit  forward  a  passage  or  two  in  the  Ko- 
ran, containing  sentiments  manifestly  false  and  fool- 


292  MEMOIR    OF 

ish:  he  flourished  a  good  deal,  but  concluded  by  say- 
ing, that  I  must  wait  till  I  could  speak  Persian  bet- 
ter, and  had  read  their  logic.  His  whole  manner, 
look,  authority,  and  copiousness,  reminded  me  con- 
stantly of  Dr.  *  '*  ^.  This  was  the  first  visit,  and  I 
returned  highly  delighted  with  his  sense,  candor,  and 
politeness.  Two  days  after,  I  went  to  breakfast 
with  him,  and  conversed  Avith  him  in  Hindoostanee. 
He  inquired  what  were  the  principles  of  the  Chris- 
tian Religion:  I  began  with  the  Atonement,  the  Di- 
vinity of  Christ,  the  corruption  of  human  nature, 
the  necessity  of  regeneration,  and  a  holy  life.  He 
seems  to  wish  to  acquire  information,  but  discovers 
no  spiritual  desire  after  the  truth.  So  much  for  the 
Mussulman  Lord:  now^  for  Antichrist  in  another 
shape,  the  Popish  Padre,  Julius  Caesar.  I  asked 
him,  whether  the  doctrine  I  had  heard  from  his 
Franciscan  brethren  in  America  was  his — Extra 
Ecclesiam  Romanam  saliis  non  esse  potest:"^  he  said  it 
"was  a  question  on  which  disputations  were  held  con- 
stantly at  Rome.  By  some  means  we  got  upon  the 
additions  made  to  the  Commandments  by  the  Church 
of  Rome:  he  said,  Christianity  without  Councils, 
\vas  a  city  without  walls,  and  that  Luther,  Calvin, 
&:c.  had  made  additions;  all  which  I  denied,  and 
shewed  him  the  last  verses  in  the  Revelation.  Upon 
the  whole,  our  conversation  seemed  to  be  without 
benefit." 

*  There  can  be  no  salvutiou  without  the  limits  of  the  Romish  Church. 


REV,    HENRY    MARTYN^  293 


TO     THE     REV.    D.    BROWN. 

"Juhj  2,  1808. 

"'My  work  is  very  delightful  in  itself,but  it  is  doubly 
so  by  securing  me  so  much  of  your  corresjDondence. 
My  eyes  seize  your  beloved  hand  writing  with 
more  eagerness  than  if  the  letter  were  from  Eu- 
rope. I  rejoice  with  you,  and  praise  God  for  one 
Gospel  in  Persian.  With  elegance  enough  to  attract 
the  careless  and  please  the  fastidious,  it  contains 
enough  of  eternal  life  to  save  the  reader's  soul; 
therefore,  if  we  do  no  more,  we  may  be  happy  that 
something  is  done.  We  are  safe  with  the  Hindoos- 
tanee:  it  wants  but  little  correction,  and,  in  case  of 
my  death,  could  be  easily  prepared  by  any  one.  I 
am  anxious  to  hear  of  the  new  plans  you  are  about 
to  propose  to  me:  let  them  not  be  in  the  way  of 
recreation:  my  only  exertion,  and  that  through  indo- 
lence is  small,  is  to  keep  my  heart  rightly  disposed 
to  minister  to  my  congregation  at  night.  I  shrink 
from  the  idea  of  Sanscrit;  the  two  or  three  months 
I  spent  in  striving  to  penetrate  its  unwieldy  gram- 
mar were  more  painful  to  me  than  any  since  the 
sorrowful  days  when  I  first  began  to  learn  Greek." 


TO    THE    REV.    D.    CORRIE. 

<*July  4,  1S08. 

"I  HAVE  received  no   letter  from  you  this   week. 
When  Sunday  came,  and  no  letter  arrived  from  yoa, 
38 


294  ME.^ioiR  or 

I  began  to  entertain  the  romantic  notion  that  per- 
haps my  brother  himself  would  come  and  preach 
lor  me  at  night.  I  am  now  on  my  way  to  Patna  by 
water.  The  Itah'an  Padre  came  to  Dinapore  again 
on  Saturday,  but  did  not  call  upon  me:  the  men 
sent  him  a  letter,  to  which  he  replied  in  French, 
that  he  lamented  he  could  not  speak  their  language, 
but  should  remember  them  in  his  prayers,  and  spoke 
oi"  them  as  brethren  in  Christ.  When  he  came 
into  the  barracks,  the  Catholics  crowded  about  him 
by  hundreds,  and  in  a  tone  of  triumph  pointed  out 
his  dress  (that  of  a  Franciscan  friar)  to  the  Protes- 
tants, contrasting  it  with  that  of  a  Clergyman  of 
the  Church  of  England,  booted  and  spirred,  and 
ready  for  a  hunt.  The  Catholics  in  this  regiment 
amount  to  a  full  thousand — the  Protestants  are 
scarcely  discernible.  Who  would  think  that  we 
should  have  to  combat  Antichrist  again  at  this  day? 
I  feel  ray  spirit  roused  to  preach  against  Popery 
with  all  the  zeal  of  Luther.  How  small  and  unim- 
portant the  hair-splitting  disputes  of  the  blessed 
people  at  home,  compared  with  the  formidable 
agents  of  the  Devil  which  we  have  to  combat  here! 
There  are  four  casts  of  people  in  India:  the  first, 
Heathen;  the  second,  Mahometans;  the  third,  Pa- 
pists; the  fourth.  Infidels.  Now  I  trust  that  you 
and  I  are  sent  to  fight  this  four-faced  Devil,  and  by 
the  help  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  whom  we  serve,  we  will. 
I  was  rather  apprehensive  that  yesterday  my  female 
hearers  would  have  forsaken  me,  but  they  came  a? 


REV.    HENRY     MARTYN-  2^ 

usual,  and  the  words,  'Search  the  Scriptures,' occur- 
ring in  the  chapter  of  the  day,  I  took  occasion  to 
point  oat  to  them  the  wickedness  of  the  Church  of 
Rome,  in  forbidding  the  use  of  the  Scriptures." 


TO    THE   SAME. 

"July  11,  1808. 


"A  LOQUACIOUS  Brahmin  having  interrupted  us  in 
our  work,  I  leave  him  to  Sabat,  and  turn  my 
thoughts  with  more  pleasure  Chunar-ward.  My 
last  letter  left  me  at  Patna.  The  Catholic  Padre, 
Julius  Cassar,  had  gone  to  Dinapore  that  very  day, 
to  say  mass;  but  at  Babir  Ali's  I  met  with  a  very 
agreeable  Armenian  Padre,  named  Martin,  Avho 
kept  my  tongue  employed  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
day.  I  tried  him  once  or  twice  in  spiritual  things, 
but  there  he  had  nothing  to  say.  His  dress  was 
a  black  little  cassock,  exactly  such  as  we  wear,  or 
ought  to  wear:  the  top  of  his  head  was  shaved, 
like  the  Franciscans.  I  am  almost  ashamed  of  my 
secular  appearance  before  these  very  venerable 
and  appropriate  figures. — The  Catholics  in  the 
regiment  are  a  thousand  strong,  and  disposed  to 
be  malicious;  they  respect  me,  however,  and  can- 
not help  thinking  that  I  have  been  taught  by 
Roman  Catholics,  or  have  been  in  some  way  con- 
nected with  them:  at  the  hospital  the  greater 
number  keep  themselves  aloof.  My  Society  this 
week  has  occasioned  me  great  trouble;  one  man 


296 


MEMOIR  OF 


was  the  occasion  of  it:  still  his  professions,  and 
earnestness  not  to  be  excluded,  make  it  difficult  to 
know  how  to  deal  with  him.  Certainly  there  is  in- 
finitely better  discipline  in  the  Romish  Church  than 
in  ours,  and  if  ever  I  be  the  pastor  of  native  Chris- 
tians, I  should  endeavor  to  govern  with  equal  strict- 
ness. My  female  hearers  do  not  give  me  half  such 
encouragement  as  yours,  probably  because  I  do  not 
take  such  pains  with  them;  yet  there  is  no  trouble 
I  would  spare,  if  I  knew  how  to  reach  their  minds.^ 
They  were  only  fourteen  yesterday.  I  spoke  to 
them  on  the  text,  'Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go? 
thou  hast  the  words  of  Eternal  Life.'  To  whom 
shall  we  go.^ — To  the  Padre — to  the  Virgin  Mary 
— to  the  Saints — to  the  world — to  works — to  re- 
pentance.'^   No:  to  Christ." 


TO    THE    SAME. 

"July  18,  1808. 

"I  MENTIONED  to  you,  that  I  had  spoken  very 
plainly  to  the  women  last  Sunday,  on  the  delusions 
of  the  Papists:  yesterday  none  but  seven  came.  I 
had  ascribed  it  to  what  I  had  said;  but  to-day  Sabat 
tells  me  they  pour  contempt  upon  it  all.  Sabat,  in- 
stead of  comforting  and  encouraging  me  in  my  dis- 
appointments and  trials,  aggravates  my  pain  by 
contemptuous  expressions  of  the  perfect  Inutility  of 
continuing  to  teach  them.  He  may  spare  his  sar- 
castic remarks,  as  I  suppose  that  after  another  Sun- 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  297 

day  none  at  all  will  come.  I  find  no  relief  but  in 
prayer:  to  God  I  can  tell  all  my  griefs,  and  find 
comfort.  Last  Tuesday,  the  Padre,  Julius  Caesar, 
came  and  staid  with  me  four  hours.  We  argued 
with  great  vehemence:  when  I  found  he  had  noth- 
ing to  say  in  defence  of  the  adoration  of  the 
Virgin  Mary  and  Saints,  I  solemnly  charged  him 
and  his  Church  with  the  sin  of  idolatry;  he  started, 
and  said,  if  I  had  uttired  such  a  sentiment  in  Italy, 
I  should  have  been  burned.  He  certainly  seems 
sincere,  and  at  one  time  he  lifted  up  his  eyes  and 
prayed  that  this  man  might  not  convert  him,  and 
that  God  would  never  suffer  the  Protestant  religion 
to  enter  into  Italy.  His  main  argument  against  me 
was,  th.e  disorder  and  impiety  prevalent  amongst 
the  Protestants  whom  he  had  an  opportunity  of 
observing  in  Geneva  and  Leghorn.  This  disputa- 
tion has  brought  us  to  be  quite  familiar  in  our  ac- 
quaintance; he  looked  over  all  my  books,  and  Tound 
a  French  one,  called,  'The  Crimes  of  the  Popes,' 
which  he  desired  to  have,  but  recollected  after- 
wards that  his  coadjutor  might  see  it.  I  feel  a 
regard  for  him:  he  is  a  serious,  unassuming  young 
man." 


TO  THE  SAME. 

*f  August  1,  1808. 


"One  day  this  week,  on  getting  up  in  the  morn- 
ing, I  was  attacked  with   a  very  serious  illness.     I 


298  MEMOIR    OF 

thought  I  was  leaving  this  world  of  sorrow,  and, 
praised  be  the  God  of  Grace,  felt  no  fear.  The 
rest  of  the  day  I  was  filled  with  sweet  peace  of 
mind,  and  had  near  access  to  God  in  prayer.  What 
a  debt  of  love  and  praise  do  we  owe!  Yesterday  I 
attempted  to  examine  the  women  Avho  attended  (in 
number  about  thirty)  in  Christian  knowledge:  they 
ivere  very  shy,  and  said  they  could  say  no  prayers 
but  in  Portuguese.  It  appears  they  were  highly 
incensed,  and  went  away,  saying  to  Joseph,  «We 
know  a  great  deal  more  than  your  Padre  himself.' 
The  services  much  weakened  me  after  my  late 
attack.'' 


TO    THE    SAME. 

"^u^usf  8,  1808« 

•'r  CALLED  on  the  Commander-in-Chief  here  on 
Saturday  morning,  and  was  received  very  graciously. 
I  told  him  that  it  was  a  duty  we  owed  to  God,  as 
a  nation,  to  erect  Churches,  and  asked  whether 
Lord  Minto  was  disposed  to  go  on  with  it;  to  which 
he  replied  in  the  affirmative.  I  enlarged  on  the 
shame  I  felt  in  disputes  with  the  Popish  Padre,  as 
often  as  they  threw  out  reflections  on  the  utter  dis- 
regard of  the  Protestants  to  religion.  Julius,  the 
Padre,  has  been  here  twice  this  week,  but  staid 
only  a  very  short  time.  He  began  with  very  great 
vehemence  to  assert  the  necessity  of  an  infalhble 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  299 

judge,  in  order  to  settle  all  disputes  on  religion,  and 
mentioned  how  much  he  had  been  agitated  bj  his 
last  disjDute  with  me:  he  could  do  nothing  but  walk 
about  that  night — yet  locked  up  to  God  and  became 
tranquil.  The  men  are  dying  in  the  hospital  fast, 
yet  they  would  rather  be  sent  to  Patna  for  some 
holy  oil,  than  hear  the  word  of  eternal  life. — Two 
or  three  of  my  evening  hearers  are  in  the  hospital; 
one  is  prepared  to  die:  blessed  sight!  The  Persian 
of  St.  Mark  is  to  be  sent  to-morrow,  and  five  chap- 
ters of  Luke  corrected.  There  is  no  news  from 
down  the  stream;  but  always  glad  tidings  for  us  from 
the  world  above." 


TO  THE   SAME. 

^'August  15,  ia08. 

^'Glad  am  I  that  we  are  likely  to  meet  so  soon: 
may  it  be  in  the  fulness  of  the  blessing  of  the  Gospel 
of  Peace.  Last  week  Mahomed  Babir,  the  Mahom- 
ed an  Lord,  and  Padre  Martino,  spent  three  days 
here.  Little,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  has  been  done. 
Sabat  did  not  appear  to  advantage:  instead  of  speak- 
ing about  the  Gospel  to  Babir,  he  was  reciting 
poetry,  particularly  his  own,  and  seemed  more  anx- 
ious to  gain  admirers  than  converts.  We  did,  how- 
ever, at  last  converse  about  religion;  but  Mahomed 
confessed  himself  an  infidel,  and  required  proof  for 
the  truth  of  any  religion.     Sabat  was  not  prepared 


300  MExMOlR    OF 

for  this,  so  I  attempted  to  speak  with  Babir  upon 
the  nature  of  probable  evidence,  but  he  did  not  un- 
derstand me:  so  this  came  to  nothing.  One  day  we 
sat  down  to  dinner  before  Sabat  came,  and  to  our 
great  astonishment  he  rebuked  us  with  much  wrath 
and  pride.  With  all  Babir's  gentleness,  he  rebuked 
him  in  his  turn,  and  told  him  that  the  Persians  and 
English  knew  how  to  behave,  but  the  Arabs  did  not. 
Babir  was  so  lavish  in  his  compliments  to  us  all,  that 
it  is  difficult  to  get  at  the  truth  of  his  real  sentiments; 
but  he  praised  Sabat's  Persian  translation  to  the 
stars,  which  I  was  glad  to  hear.  As  for  the  poor 
Padre,  with  an  exterior  so  imposing,  that  you  would 
think  St.  Peter  was  present,  he  knows  nothing  at  all. 
I  tried  him  on  spiritual  things  again  and  again — but 
he  could  say  nothing.  Alas!  how  fallen  from  what 
their  fathers  were!  When  shall  the  Churches  of 
Asia  recover  their  ancient  glory?  You  will  see  the 
Nabob  and  Padre  soon  I  hope.  Last  Tuesday  we 
sent  off  the  Persian  of  St.  Mark." 


TO    THE    REV.    D.     BROWN. 

September  %  180$. 

"CoRRiE  is  here,  and  likely  to  remain,  to  my  joy: 
you  will  have  some  happy  hours  togetl^'er,  I  doubt 
not.  With  all  your  cares  and  trials,  you  claim  all  the 
consolations  we  can  give,  and  you  shall  have  more 
than  that,  if  we  can  obtain  any  thing  for  you  by  our 


REV.     HENRY     MARTYN.,  30 1 

prayers.  Corrie  will  bring  you  but  a  poor  account 
of  my  congregation:  I  am  much  neglected  on  all 
sides,  and  without  the  work  of  translation  I  should 
fear  my  presence  in  India  wxre  useless." 


TO     HIS    SISTER. 

^'October,  1S08. 

"1  DESERVE  your  reproof  for  not  having  written  to 
you  oftener,  and  am  pained  at  the  anxiety  I  have 
thoughtlessly  occasioned  you.  I  console  myself, 
however,  with  reflecting  that  a  letter  must  have 
reached  you  a  few  weeks  after  you  sent  your  last.  I 
am  sorry  that  I  have  not  good  accounts  to  give  of 
my  health;  yet  no  danger  is  to  be  apprehended. 
My  services  on  the  Lord's  Day  leave  me  always 
with  a  pain  in  the  breast,  and  such  a  great  degree 
of  general  relaxation,  that  I  seldom  recover  it  till 
Tuesday.  A  few  days  ago  I  was  attacked  with  a 
fever,  which,  by  the  mercy  of  God,  lasted  but  two 
days.  I  am  now  well,  but  must  be  more  careful  for 
the  future.  In  this  debilitating  climate  the  mortal 
tabernacle  is  frail  indeed:  my  mind  seems  as  vigor- 
ous as  ever,  but  my  delicate  frame  calls  soon  for  re- 
laxation, and  I  must  give  it,  though  unwillingly;  for 
such  glorious  fields  for  exertion  open  all  around,  that 
I  could  with  pleasure  be  employed  from  morning  to 
night.  It  seems  a  providential  circumstance,  that 
the  work  assigned  me  for  the  present  is  that  of 
39 


302  MfcMOlR   OF 

translation;  for  had  I  gone  through  the  villages 
preaching,  as  my  inclination  led  rne  to  do,  I  fear  by 
this  time  I  should  have  been  in  a  deep  decline.  In 
my  last  I  gave  you  a  general  idea  of  my  employ- 
ments. The  Society  still  meet  every  night  at  mv 
quarters,  and  though  we  have  lost  many  by  death, 
others  are  raised  up  in  their  room;  one  officer,  a 
Lieutenant,  is  also  given  to  me,  and  he  is  not  only  a 
brother  beloved,  but  a  constant  companion  and  nurse; 
so  you  must  feel  no  apprehension  that  I  should  be 
left  alone  in  sickness;  neither  on  any  other  account 
should  you  be  uneasy.  You  know  that  we  must 
meet  no  more  in  this  life:  therefore  since,  as  I  trust, 
wc  are  both  the  children  of  God,  by  faith  in  Christ 
Jesus,  it  becomes  a  matter  of  less  consequence  when 
we  leave  this  earth.  Of  the  spread  of  the  Gospel 
in  India  I  can  say  little,  because  I  hear  nothing. 
Adieu,  my  dearest  sister:  let  us  live  in  constant 
prayer  for  ourselves  and  the  Church." 


TO    THE    REV.    D.    CORRIE. 

October  19,  180». 

"I  HAVE  just  come  out  of  my  Chapel,  where,  with 
my  little  flock,  I  have  once  more  resumed  my  duties. 
The  infrequency  of  my  appearance  among  them  of 
late  has  thinned  them  considerably,  and  this  eifect, 
whicli  I  foresaw,  is  one  of  the  most  painful  and  la- 
mentable  consequences  of  my   withdrawing   from 


REV.    HENRY    MART  FN.  303 

them;  but  it  is  unavoidable,  if  I  wish  to  prolong  mj 
life.  Mj  danger  is  from  the  lungs;  though  none  of 
you  seem  to  apprehend  it.  One  complete  service  at 
church  does  more  to  consume  my  strength  and 
spirits  than  six  days  of  the  hardest  study  or  bodily 
labor.  Pray  for  me,  my  dear  brother,  that  I  may 
neither  be  rash  nor  indolent." 


TO  THE  REV.  D.  CORRIE. 

''October  24,  1808. 

"You  mention  a  letter  inclosed,  but  none  came. 
The  intelligence,  however,  intended  to  be  conveyed 
by  it,  met  my  delighted  eyes.  Thomason  too  coming! 
This  is  good.  Praise  be  to  the  Lord  of  the  harvest 
for  sending  out  laborers!  Behold  how  the  prayers 
of  the  Society  at  Calcutta  have  been  heard.  I  hope 
they  will  continue  their  supplications,  for  w^e  want 
more  yet,  and  it  may  please  God  yet  further  to 
bless  us.  You  cannot  leave  Calcutta  by  the  middle 
of  November,  and  must  therefore  apply  for  one 
month's  extension  of  leave.  But  you  are  unwilling 
to  leave  your  flock,  and  I  do  not  wonder,  as  I  see 
ray  sheep  dispersed  grievously  during  my  absence. 
Uncertain  when  I  may  come  amongst  them,  they 
seldom  come  at  all,  except  ten  or  twelve  who  meet 
one  another.  My  morning  congregation  increases  as 
the  cold  weather  advances,  and  yesterday  there 
seemed  to  be  a  considerable  impression.     I  spoke  m 


304:  IVIEMOIR    OF 

a  low  tone  of  voice,  and  therefore  did  iiot  feel  miicFi 
fatigue;  but  after  the  Hindoostanee  service  I  was 
very  weak,  but  at  night  tolerably  strong  again.  On 
the  whole,  my  expectations  of  life  return.  May  the 
days  thus  prolonged  be  entirely  His  who  continues 
them!  and  may  my  work  not  only  move  on  delight- 
fully, but  with  a  more  devout  and  serious  spirit!  You 
are  too  many  happy  brethren  together  for  me  to 
mention  all;  suffice  it  to  say,  that  my  heart  is  with 
you,  and  daily  prays  for  blessings  upon  you  all." 


The  early  part  of  the  year  1809  produced  no  vari- 
ation in  the  life  of  Mr.  Martyn,  until  the  month  of 
April,  when  he  was  removed  from  his  station  at 
Dinapore  to  Cawnpore.  The  following  extracts  are 
selected  from  the  continuation  of  his  correspondence 
with  Mr.  Corrie,  in  the  interval  that  passed  be- 
tween the  end  of  the  year  1808  and  the  termination 
of  his  ministry  at  Dinapore. 


TO    THE    REV.    D.    CORRIE. 

*'Jaimarii  10,  1S09. 

"Your  letter  from  Buxar  found  me  in  much  the 
same  spiritual  state  as  you  describe  yourself  to  be 
in;  though  your  description,  no  doubt,  belongs  more 
properly  to  me.  I  no  longer  hesitate  to  ascribe 
my  stupor  and  formality  to  its  right  cause — un- 
watchfulness  in  worldly  company.     I  thought  that 


REV.  HENRY  IMARTYN.  305 

«iny  temptation  arising  from  the  society  of  the  peo- 
ple of  the  world,  at  least  of  such  as  we  have  had, 
not  worthy  of  notice:  but  I  find  myself  mistaken. 
The  late  frequent  occasions  of  being  among  them 
have  proved  a  snare  to  my  corrupt  heart.  Instead 
of  returning  with  a  more  elastic  spring  to  severe 
duties,  as  I  expected,  my  heart  wants  more  idleness, 
more  dissipation.  David  Brainerd  in  the  wilder- 
ness— what  a  contrast  to  Henry  Martyn?  But  God 
be  thanked  that  a  start  now  and  then  Interrupts  the 
slumber.  I  hope  to  be  up  and  about  my  Masters 
business;  to  cast  off  the  works  of  darkness,  and  to 
be  spiritually  minded,  which  alone  is  life  and  peace. 
But  what  a  dangerous  country  it  is  we  are  in;  hot 
weather  or  cold,  all  is  softness  and  luxury;  all  a  con- 
spiracy to  lull  us  to  sleep  in  the  lap  of  pleasure. 
While  we  pass  over  this  enchanted  ground,  call, 
brother,  ever  and  anon,  and  ask,  'is  all  well?'  We 
are  shepherds  keeping  watch  over  our  flocks  by- 
night:  if  ive  fall  asleep,  what  is  to  become  of 
the  ml" 


^January  30,  1809. — "I  have  been  seized  with  a 
sudden  desire  for  reading  Hebrev/,  chiefly  from  a 
wish  of  seeing  language  in  its  simplest  and  purest 
state.  It  is  my  belief  that  language  is  from  God; 
and  therefore,  as  in  his  other  works,  so  in  this,  the 
principles  must  be  extremely  simple.  My  present 
labor  is  to  find  a  reason  for  there  beine:  but  two> 


306  MEMOIR    OF 

tenses  in  Hebrew.  I  have  read,  or  rather  devour- 
ed, the  four  first  chapters  in  the  Hebrew  Bible,  in 
order  to  account  for  the  apparently  strange  use  of 
these  two  tenses,  and  am  making  hypotheses  every 
moment,  when  I  walk,  and  when  I  wake  in  the 
night.  One  thing  I  have  found,  that  there  are  but 
two  tenses  in  English  and  Persian.  I  will  go: — in 
that  sentence  the  principal  verb  is  /  loill,  which  is 
the  present  tense.  /  would  have  gone: — the  princi- 
pal verb,  is,  /  would^  or  /  willed.  Should,  also,  is  a 
preterite,  namely,  shalled  from  to  shall  Another 
thing  I  observe  is,  that  both  in  Persian  and  English 
the  preterite  is  formed  in  the  same  way,  viz.  by  the 
addition  of  ed;  porsiim,  porsedum — ask,  asked.  I 
should  not  wonder  if  in  the  Saxon,  or  some  other 
ancient  northern  language  from  which  the  English 
comes,  it  is  askedum.  Thus  you  have  a  letter  of 
philology.  If  I  make  any  other  great  discoveries, 
and  have  nothing  better  to  write  about,  I  shall 
take  the  liberty  of  communicating  them.  Scire 
ilium  nihil  est,  nisi  te  scire  hoc  sciat  alter:^ — but 
this,  I  trust,  is  not  my  maxim;  'Whatsoever  ye  do, do 
all  to  the  glory  of  God,^  is  much  better." 


''February  13,  1809. — Last  Friday  w,e  had  the 
happiness  and  honor  of  finishing  the  four  Gospels  in 
Persian.     The  same  evening  I  made  some  discovery 

*  To  possess  knowledge   yourself  is  nothing,  unless  some  other  persou 
be  made  acquainted  Avith  your  knowledge. 


REV.    HENRY   MARTIN.  307 

respecting  the  Hebrew  verb,  but  was  unfortunately 
so  much  dehghted,  that  I  could  not  sleep;  in  conse- 
quence of  which  I  have  had  a  head-ache  ever  since. 
Thus  even  intellectual  jojs  are  followed  by  sorrow: 
not  so  spiritual.  I  pray  continually  that  order  may 
be  preserved  in  my  heart;  that  I  may  esteem  and 
delight  most  in  that  work,  which  is  really  most  esti- 
mable and  delightful — the  work  of  Christ  and  the 
Apostles.  When  this  is  in  any  measure  the  case,  it 
is  surprising  how  clear  and  orderly  the  thoughts  are 
on  other  subjects.  I  am  still  a  good  deal  in  the  dark, 
respecting  the  object  of  my  pursuit,  but  have  so 
much  in  sight,  that  I  read  both  Hebrew  and  Arabic 
with  increasing  pleasure  and  satisfaction." 


'^ February  20,  1809. — Your  attack  proves  the 
necessity  of  diminishing  your  Sabbath  services.  I 
scarcely  know  how  this  week  has  passed,  nor  can  I 
call  to  mind  the  circumstances  of  one  single  day — so 
absorbed  have  I  been  in  my  new  pursuit.  I  remem- 
ber, however,  that  one  night  I  did  not  sleep  a  wink. 
Knowing  what  would  be  the  consequences  the  next 
day,  I  struggled  hard,  and  turned  every  way,  that 
my  mind  might  be  diverted  from  what  was  before  it 
— but  all  in  vain.  One  discovery  succeeded  another, 
in  Hebrew,  Arabic,  and  Greek,  so  rapidly,  that  I 
was  sometimes  almost  in  an  ecstacy.  But  after  all, 
I  have  moved  but  a  step:  you  may  scold  me,  if  you 
please— but  I  am  helpless.     I  do  not  turn  to  this 


308  MEMOIR    OP 

study  of  myself,  but  it  turns  to  me,  and  draws  mc 
away,  almost  irresistibly.  Still  I  perceive  it  to  be  a 
mark  of  a  fallen  nature  to  be  so  carried  away  by  a 
pleasure  merely  intellectual;  and,  therefore,  while  I 
pray  for  the  gifts  of  his  Spirit,  I  feel  the  necessity  of 
beino'  earnest  for  his  Grace.  'Whether  there  be 
tongues,  they  shall  cease;  whether  there  be  knowl- 
edge it  shall  vanish  away;' — but  'Charity  never  fail- 
cth.'  Yesterday  my  mind  was  mercifully  kept  free 
the  whole  day,  and  I  ministered  without  distraction, 
and  moreover,  without  fatigue.  I  do  not  know 
when  I  have  found  myself  so  strong. — The  state  of 
the  air  affects  me  more  than  any  thing  else.  Satur- 
day I  completed  my  twenty-eighth  year.  Shall  I 
live  to  see  another  birth-day: — it  will  be  better  to 
suppose  not.  I  have  not  read  Faber  yet;  but  it 
seems  evident  to  me,  that  the  1 1th  of  Daniel,  almost 
the  wdiole  of  it,  refers  to  future  time.  But  as  the 
time  of  accomplishing  the  Scriptures  draws  on, 
knowledge  shall  increase.  In  solemn  expectation 
v/a  must  wait  to  see  how  our  God  will  come.  How 
deeply  interesting  are  his  doings!  We  feel  already 
some  of  that  rapture  wherewith  they  sing  above, 
*Great  and  wonderful  are  thy  works,  O  Lord  God 
Almighty;  just  and  true  are  thy  ways,  thou  King  of 
Saints." 


"March  3, 1809.    I  did  not  write  to  you  last  week, 
because  I  was  employed  night  and  day,  on  Mon- 


REV.    HENRY   MARTVN.  309 

day  and  Tuesday,  with  Sabat,  in  correcting  some 
sheets  for  the  press.  I  begin  my  letter  now,  im- 
mediately on  receiving  yours  of  last  week.  The 
account  of  your  complaint,  as  you  may  suppose, 
grieves  me  exceedingly;  not  because  I  think  I  shall 
outHve  you,  but  because  your  useful  labors  must 
be  reduced  to  one  quarter,  and  that  you  may  be 
obliged,  perhaps,  to  take  a  voyage  to  Europe,  which 
is  loss  of  time  and  money.  But,  O  brother  beloved, 
what  is  life  or  death?  Nothing  to  the  believer  in 
Jesus.  'He  that  belie  vet  h,  though  he  were  dead, 
yet  shall  he  live;  and  he  that  liveth,  and  believeth 
in  me,  shall  never  die.'  The  first  and  natural  ef- 
fect of  sickness,  as  I  have  often  found,  is  to  cloud, 
and  terrify  the  mind.  The  attention  of  the  soul  is 
arrested  by  the  idea  of  soon  appearing  in  a  new 
world;  and  a  sense  of  guilt  is  felt,  before  faith  is 
exercised  in  a  Redeemer;  and,  for  a  time,  it  will 
predominate;  for  the  same  faith  that  w^ould  over- 
come iear  in  health,  must  be  considerably  strength- 
ened to  have  the  same  effect  in  sickness.  I  trust 
you  will  long  live  to  do  the  work  of  your  Lord 
Jesus.  My  discoveries  are  all  at  an  end.  I  am  just 
where  I  was — in  perfect  darkness,  and  tired  of  the 
pursuit.  It  is,  however,  hkely  that  I  shall  be  con- 
stantly speculating  on  the  subject.  My  thirst  after 
knowledge  is  very  strong,  but  I  pray  continually 
that  the  Spirit  of  God  may  hold  the  reins,  that  I 
may  mind  the  work  of  God  above  all  things,  and 
consider  all  things  else  as  merely  occasionaL'' 
40 


310  MEMOIR  OF 

"March  13,  1809.  How  delightful  is  it  tome,  at 
this  moment,  to  commune  with  a  dear  brother,  who 
'is  not  of  the  world,  as  the  Lord  was  not  of  the 
world.'  I  am  just  come  from  the  mess  of  the  *  ^  '*. 
This  morning  the  regiment  was  reviewed,  and  I,"* 
among  the  Staff,  was  invited  to  a  public  dejeune 
and  dinner.  As  I  had  no  pretence  for  not  going,  I 
went.  Yesterday  our  new  place  of  worship  was 
opened.  It  is  a  room  eighty-one  feet  long,  with  a 
veranda  very  large.  It  will  be  a  very  noble  church; 
but,  I  fear,  will  diminish  somewhat  of  my  strength. 
My  text  was,  'In  all  places  where  I  record  my 
name,  I  will  come  unto  thee  and  bless  thee.'  O  may 
the  promise  be  fulfilled  to  us!" 


At  Cawnpore,  the  hand  of  friendship  and  hospi- 
tality was  stretched  out,  to  welcome  Mr.  Marty n, 
and  to  afford  him  those  attentions,  after  a  wearisome 
and  perilous  journey,  which  were  not  only  most 
gratifying  to  his  feelings,  but  almost  indispensible  to 
the  preservation  of  his  life.  From  the  pen  of  the 
ladyt  of  that  friend  who  then  received  him — a  pen 
which  has  been  often  and  happily  employed  in  the 
sacred  cause  for  which  Mr.  Martyn  lived  and  labor- 
ed— we  have  the  following  account  of  his  arrival  at 
the  new  station  to  which  he  was  appointed.  "The 
month  of  April,  in  the  upper  provinces  of  Hindoos- 

"  Mr.  Martya  uas  Military  Chaplain.  t  Mrs.  SherwootI, 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN^  311 

tan,  is  one  of  the  most  dreadful  months  for  travelling 
throughout  the  year;  indeed,  no  European,  at  that 
time,  can  remove  from  place  to  place,  but  at  the 
hazard  of  his  life.  But  Mr.  Martjn  had  that  anx- 
iety to  be  at  the  work  which  his  heavenly  Father 
had  given  him  to  do,  that,  notwithstanding  the  vio- 
lent heat,  he  travelled  from  Chunar  to  Cawnpore, 
the  space  of  about  four  hundred  miles.  At  that 
time,  I  well  remember,  the  air  was  as  hot  and  dry 
as  that  which  I  have  sometimes  felt  near  the  mouth 
of  a  large  oven — no  friendly  cloud  or  verdant  carpet 
of  grass,  to  relieve  the  eye  from  the  strong  glare  of 
the  rays  of  the  sun,  pouring  on  the  sandy  plains  of 
the  Ganges.  Thus  Mr.  Martyn  travelled,  journey- 
ing night  and  day,  and  arrived  at  Cawnpore,  in  such 
a  state,  that  he  fainted  away  as  soon  as  he  entered 
the  house.  When  we  charged  him  with  the  rash- 
ness of  hazarding  in  this  manner  his  life,  he  always 
pleaded  his  anxiety  to  get  to  the  great  work.  He 
remained  with  us  ten  days,  suffering  at  times  con^ 
siderably  from  fever  and  pain  in  his  chest." 

Mr.  Martyn's  own  account  of  this  dreadful  and 
tnost  distressing  journey,  is  thus  briefly  detailed  to 
Mr.  Corrie. 


^'Cawnpore,  May  1,  1809.  The  entrance  to  this 
place  is  through  plains  of  unmeasurable  extent,  cov- 
ered with  burning  sand.     The  place  itself  I  have 


312  MEMOIR    OF 

not  vet  been  able  to  see,  nor  shall,  I  suppose,  till 
the  rains:  at  present  it  is  involved  in  a  thick  cloud 
of  dust.  So  much  for  exordium. — Let  me  take  up 
my  narrative  from  Mirzapore,  where  I  wrote  you  a 
note.  I  reached  Tarra  about  noon.  Next  dav,  at 
noon,  reached  Allahabad,  and  was  hospitably  re- 
ceiv^ed  by  Mr.  G.;  at  night  dined  with  him  at  the 
Judge's,  and  met  tAventy-six  people.  From  Allaha- 
bad to  Cawnpore  how-  shall  I  describe  what  I  suf- 
fered! Two  days  and  two  nights  was  I  travelling 
Avithout  intermission.  Expecting  to  arrive  early  on 
Saturday  morning,  I  took  no  provision  for  that  day. 
Thus  I  lay  in  my  palanquin  faint,  with  a  head-ache, 
neither  awake  nor  asleep,  between  dead  and  alive— 
the  wind  blowing  flames.  The  bearers  were  so 
unable  to  bear  up,  that  we  w^ere  six  hours  coming 
the  last  six  kos  (tw^elve  miles.)  However,  vfith  all 
this  frightful  description,  I  was  brought  in  mercy 
through.  It  was  too  late  on  Saturday  to  think  of 
giving  notice  of  my  arrival,  that  Ave  might  have  ser- 
vice; indeed  I  was  myself  too  weak.  Even  now  the 
motion  of  the  palanquin  is  not  out  of  my  brain,  nor 
the  heat  out  of  my  blood." 


Mr.  Martyn's  removal  from  Dinaporc  to  Cawn- 
pore, was  to  him,  in  many  respects,  a  very  unpleas- 
ant arrangement.  He  Avas  several  hundred  miles 
fartlier  distant  from  Calcutta,  and  Avas  far  more 
widely  separated,  than  before,  from  his  friend  Mr. 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYX.  313 

Corrie:  he  had  new  acquaintances  to  form  at  his 
new  abode;  and,  after  having  with  much  difficuhy 
procured  the  erection  of  a  Church  at  Dinapore,  he 
was  transported  to  a  spot  where  none  of  the  con- 
veniences, much  less  the  decencies  and  solemnities 
of  public  worship,  were  visible.  We  find  him,  soon 
after  he  arrived  there,  preaching  to  a  thousand  sol- 
diers, drawn  up  in  a  hollow  square,  Vv  hen  the  heat 
was  so  great,  although  the  sun  had  not  risen,  that 
many  actually  dropped  down,  unable  to  support  it. 
What  must  such  services  as  these  have  been  to  a 
minister,  too  faithful  and  zealous  to  seek  refuge  in 
indolent  formality,  and  already  vv^eakened  in  health 
by  former  ministrations.  He  complained,  if  indeed 
he  may  be  ever  said  to  complain,  of  an  attack  of 
fever  soon  after  the  commencement  of  these  servi- 
ces; and  there  can  be  little  doubt  but  that  they  con- 
tributed very  materially  to  undermine  his  constitu- 
tion. No  time,  indeed,  was  lost  by  him  on  this  oc- 
casion, as  before,  in  remonstrating  upon  this  subject, 
and  his  remonstrance  procured  a  promise  that  a 
Church  should  be  built.  This  expectation,  however, 
was  not  fulfilled  until  his  health  was  too  much  shak- 
en to  profit  by  its  accomplishment. 

At  Cawnpore,  Mr.  Martyn's  ministerial  duties  va- 
ried little  from  those  which  had  occupied  him  at 
Dinapore.  Prayers  and  a  sermon  with  the  regiment 
at  the  dawn  of  the  morning;  the  same  service  at  the 
house  of  the  General  of  the  station,  at  eleven  o'clock; 
attendance  at  the  hospital;  and  in  the  evening,  that 


314  MEMOIR   OF 

part  of  his  work  which  was  the  most  gfateful  and 
refreshing  to  his  spirit,  though  performed  under  the 
pressure  of  much  bodily  fatigue — an  exposition  to 
the  more  devout  part  of  his  flock,  with  prayer  and 
thanksgiving,  made  up  the  ordinary  portion  of  his 
labors. 

That  love  of  philology,  in  which  he  fondly  hoped 
to  effect  discoveries,  conducive  to  the  elucidation  of 
difficulties  in  the  Scriptures,  followed  him  from  Di- 
napore  to  his  new  residence,  and  so  haunted  his  mind, 
that,  whether  at  home  or  abroad,  whether  hy  day 
or  by  night,  he  could  not  divest  himself  of  it.  For 
many  successive  days  did  he  intensely  pursue  this 
study,  and  for  many  sleepless  nights  did  the  study 
pursue  him.  At  length  he  thought  he  had  ascer- 
tained the  meaning  of  almost  ail  the  Hebrew  let- 
ters; by  degrees,  however,  he  became  less  ardent 
in  these  inquiries,  either  from  questioning  the  truth 
of  those  axioms  which  he  had  laid  down,  or  from 
finding  their  inutihty  after  he  had  established  thenf*. 

These  abstruse  speculations,  together  with  duties 
of  a  more  important  character,  (one  of  the  chief  of 
which  was  the  superintendance  of  an  Arabic  trans- 
lation of  the  New  Testament,  now  begun  and  carri- 
ed on  conjointly  with  a  72ew  Persian  version,)  were 
soon  interrupted,  and  for  a  time  suspended,  by  a 
summons  he  received  to  Lucknow,  for  the  purpose 
of  celebrating  a  marriage,  and  by  a  similar  call  to 
Pretabjush.  Concerning  the  latter  he  thus  wTites 
to  Mr.  Simeon,  lamenting  the  inconvenience  to  which 


REV.     HJENRY     MARTYN.  315  i: 

he  was  exposed  by  such  dislant  demands  upon  his 
services.  "Just  after  the  last  ship  from  Europe  ar- 
rived, and  I  was  hourly  expecting  my  letters,  I  was 
summoned  to  a  distant  station,  to  marry  a  couple,  and 
did  not  return  till  three  weeks  after.  It  was  a  great 
disappointment  to  be  thus  suddenly  sent  to  roam 
amongst  jungles  and  jackalls,  when  I  was  feasting 
my  fancy  with  delightful  letters  from  my  friends  at 
home — though  Europe  is  no  longer  my  home.  How- 
*ever,  my  mind  was  soon  reconciled  to  it,  and  I  was 
often  able  to  recite,  with  some  sense  of  their  sweet- 
ness, Mr.  Newton's  beautiful  lines, 

*In  desert  tracts,  with  Thee,  my  GoJ, 
How  happy  could  I  be.' 

^^The  place  to  which  I  was  called  is  Pretabjush^ 
in  the  territory  of  Oude,  which  is  still  under  the 
government  of  the  Nabob.  Oppression  and  inse- 
curity of  property  seem  to  have  stripped  the  coun- 
try of  its  inhabitants.  From  Manicpore,  where  I 
left  the  river,  to  Pretabjush,  a  distance  of  fifty 
miles,  I  saw  but  two  or  three  liiiserable  villages, 
and  no  agriculture.  The  road  was  nothing  more 
than  a  winding  footpath,  through  a  continued  wood, 
and  that,  in  consequence  of  the  rains,  was  often 
lost.  Indeed,  all  the  low  lands  were  under  water, 
which,  added  to  the  circumstance  of  travelling 
by  night,  made  the  journey  by  no  means  a  pleas- 
ant one.  Being  detained  one  Lord's  day  at  the 
place,  I  assembled  all  the  officers  and  company, 
at  the  commanding  officer's  bi^ngalow,  and  preach- 


SMi  ivi£r»ioiR   OF 

ed  the  Gospel  to  thera.  There  were  five  and 
thirty  ofFicers,  besides  ladies,  and  other  Europeans. 
You  will  have  an  idea  of  the  Nabob's  country, 
when  you  are  informed  that,  last  September,  a 
young  officer,  going  from  his  station  to  Lucknow, 
was  stopped  by  robbers,  and  literally  cut  to  pieces 
in  his  palanquin.  Since  that  time,  the  Nabob  has 
requested  that  every  English  gentleman,  wishing 
to  visit  his  capital,  may  give  notice  of  his  intention 
to  the  Resident,  in  order  that  a  guard  may  be  sent. 
Accordingly,  a  few  months  ago,  when  I  had  occa- 
sion to  go  to  Lucknow,  I  had  a  guard  of  four  troop- 
ers, armed  with  matchlocks  and  spears.  I  thought 
of  Nehemiah,  but  was  far  too  inferior  to  him  in  cour- 
age and  faith,  not  to  contemplate  the  fierce  counte- 
nances of  my  satellites  with  great  satisfaction." 

Not  long  after  Mr.  Marty n's  return  from  this  ex- 
pedition, letters  from  Europe  reached  Cawnpore, 
fraught  w^ith  intelligence  of  a  similar  nature  with 
that  which  had  overwhelmed  him  in  the  preceding 
year.  They  contained  intimations  of  the  dangerous 
illness  of  that  sister  who  had  been  so  instrumental  in 
his  conversion  to  the  Lord;  and  they  w^ere  but  too 
quickly  followed  by  an  account  of  her  death.  "O 
my  dearest  *  *  %  (he  began  to  write  to  his  sister,  with 
zi  faint  hope,  at  first,  of  the  possibility  of  her  receiv- 
ing his  letter,)  that  disease  which  preyed  upon  our 
mother  and  dear  sister,  and  has  often  shewn  itself  in 
me,  has,  I  fear,  attacked  you.  Although  1  parted 
from  you  in  the  expectation  of  never  seeing  you  ii} 


REV.    HENRY    MARTY.V.  317 

this  life,  and  though  I  know  that  you  are,  and  have 
long  been  prepared  to  go,  yet  to  lose  my  last  near 
relation,  rny  only  sister,  in  nature  and  grace,  is  a 
dreadful  stroke."  '^Dearest  brother"  (he  continued 
to  her  husband,  from  whom  he  had,  in  the  mean 
time,  received  a  more  alarming  account,)  '•!  can 
♦  write  no  more  to  my  sister.  Even  now  something 
tells  me  I  have  been  addressing  one  in  the  world  of 
spirits.  But  yet  it  is  possible  that  I  may  be  mistaken. 
No — I  dare  not  hope.  Your  loss  is  greater  than 
mine,  and  therefore  it  would  become  me  to  offer 
consolation — but  i  cannot.  I  must  wait  till  your 
next;  and,  in  the  mean  time,  I  will  continue  to  pray 
for  you,  that  the  God  of  all  consolation  may  comfort 
you,  and  make  us  both,  from  this  time,  live  more  as 
pilgrims  and  strangers  upon  the  earth.  In  the  first 
three  years  after  leaving  my  native  land,  I  have  lost 
the  three  persons  whom  I  most  loved  in  it. — What 
is  there  now  I  should  wish  to  live  for?  O  what  a 
barren  desert,  what  a  hovrling  wilderness,  does  this 
w^orld  appear.  But  for  the  service  of  God  in  his 
Church,  and  the  preparation  of  my  own  soul,  I  do 
not  know  that  I  would  Vv'ish  to  live  another  day." 
Willi  a  grateful  tenderness,  also,  in  the  midst  of  this 
afiliction,  he  thus  addressed  Mr.  Simeon: — "My  ever 
dear  friend  and  brother — I  address  you  by  your  true 
title,  for  you  are  a  friend  and  brother,  and  more  than 
a  brother  to  me.  Your  letter,  though  it  contains 
much  afflictive  intelligence,  contains  in  it  also  much 
that  demands  my  gratitude.  In  the  midst  of  judg- 
41 


318  '  MEMOIR    OF 

mcut,  he  remembers  mercj.  He  has  been  pleased 
to  take  avvaj  mj  last  remaining  sister;  (for  I  have  no 
hopes  of  my  poor  *  *  *'s  recov  ery;)  he  has  reduced 
the  rest  of  my  family,  but  he  has  raised  up  a  friend 
for  me  and  mine.  Tears  of  gratitude  mingle  with 
those  of  sorrow,  whilst  I  think  of  the  mercy  of  God^ 
and  the  goodness  of  you,  his  instrument." 

The  close  of  the  year  1809  w^as  distinguished  by 
the  commencement  of  Mr.  Martyn's  first  public  min- 
istration among  the  Heathen.  A  crowed  of  mendi- 
cants, whom,  to  prevent  perpetual  interruptions,  he 
had  appointed  to  meet  on  a  stated  day,  for  the  dis- 
tribution of  alms,  frequently  assembled  before  his 
house  in  immense  numbers,  presenting  an  affecting 
spectacle  of  extreme  wretchedness.  To  this  congre- 
gation he  determined  to  preach  the  word  of  the 
Savior  of  all  men,  who  is  no  respecter  of  persons. 
Of  his  first  attempt  at  this  new  species  of  min- 
istration, he  thus  speaks: — "1  told  them  (after  re- 
questing their  attention)  that  I  gave  with  pleasure 
the  alms  I  could  afford,  but  wished  to  give  them 
something  better,  namely,  eternal  riches,  or  the 
knowledge  of  God,  which  was  to  be  had  from  God's 
word;  and  then,  producing  a  Hindoostanee  transla- 
tion of  Genesis,  read  the  first  verse,  and  explained  it 
word  by  word.  In  the  beginning,  when  there  was 
nothing,  no  heaven,  no  earth,  but  only  God,  he  cre- 
ated without  help,  for  his  own  pleasure. — But  who 
is  God?  One  so  great,  so  good,  so  wise,  so  mighty, 
that  none  can  know  him  as  he  ought  to  know:  but 


REV,    HENRY     MARTYN.  319 

yet  we  must  know  that  he  knows  us.  When  we 
rise  up,  or  sit  down,  or  go  out,  he  is  always  with 
us. — He  created  heaven  and  earth;  therefore  ev- 
ery thing  in  heaven,  sun,  moon,  and  stars.  There- 
fore how  should  the  sun  be  God,  or  moon  be  God? 
Every  thing  on  earth,  therefore  Ganges  also — there- 
fore how  should  Ganges  be  God?  Neither  are  they 
like  God. — If  a  shoemaker  make  a  pair  of  shoes, 
are  the  shoes  like  him?  If  a  man  make  an  image, 
the  image  is  not  like  man  his  maker.  Infer  secondly: 
if  God  made  the  heaven  and  earth  for  you,  and 
made  the  meat  also  for  you,  Avill  he  not  also  feed 
you?  Know  also,  that  he  that  made  heaven  and 
earth,  can  destroy  them — and  will  do  it;  ther6fore 
fear  God  who  is  so  great,  and  love  God  who  .is  so 
good.'*  Such  was  the  substance  of  his  first  dis- 
course, the  whole  of  which  was  preached  sentence 
by  sentence,  for  at  the  end  of  each  clause  there 
were  applauses  and  explanatory  remarks  from  the 
wiser  among  them.  "I  bless  my  God,"  said  Mr. 
Martyn,  "for  helping  me  beyond  my  expectations. 
Yet  still  my  corrupt  heart  looks  forward  to  the 
next  attempt  with  some  dread." 

The  following  Sunday  he  preached  again  to  the 
beggars;  in  number  about  five  hundred,  on  the  work 
of  the  first  and  second  day,  when  all  he  said  was 
received  with  great  applause.  And  on  the  last  day 
of  the  year,  he  again  addressed  them,  their  numbers 
amounting  to  about  five  hundred  and  fifty;  taking  for 
his  subject — the  works  of  the  third  and  fourth  dav. 


320  MEMOIR  Of 

"I  did  not,''  he  remarks,  "succeed  so  well  as  be^ 
fore:  I  suppose  because  I  had  more  confidence  in 
myself,  and  less  in  the  Lord.  I  fear  they  did  not 
understand  me  well;  but  the  foAV  sentences  that 
were  clear,  they  applauded.  Speaking  to  them  of 
the  sea  and  riv^ers,  I  spoke  to  them  again  of  the 
Ganges,  that  it  was  no  more  than  other  rivers. 
God  loved  the  Hindoos — but  he  loved  other  peo- 
ple too;  and  whatever  river,  or  water,  or  other 
good  thing,  he  gave  Hindoos,  he  gave  other  peo- 
ple also:  for  all  are  alike  before  God.  Ganges, 
therefore,  is  not  to  be  worshipped;  because,  so  far 
from  being  a  God,  it  is  not  better  than  other  rivers. 
In  speaking  of  the  earth  and  moon,  as  a  candle  in 
the  house,  so  is  the  sun,"  I  said,  "in  the  heavens. 
But  would  I  worship  a  candle  in  my  hand?  These 
were  nice  points:  I  felt  as  if  treading  on  tender 
ground,  and  was  almost  disposed  to  blame  myself 
for  imprudence.  I  thought  that,  amidst  the  silence 
these  remarks  produced,  I  heard  hisses  and  groans 
— but  a  few  Mahometans  applauded." 

With  these  new  labors  of  love  the  year  1809 
terminated.  "Ten  years  have  elapsed,"  observed 
Mr.  Martyn  on  the  last  day  of  it,  "since  I  was  first 
called  of  God  to  the  fellowship  of  the  Gospel,  and 
ten  times  greater  than  ever  ought  to  he  my  grati- 
tude to  the  tender  mercy  of  my  God,  for  all  that  he 
has  done  for  me.  The  ways  of  wisdom  appear 
more  sweet  and  reasonable  than  ever,  and  the  world 
more  insipid  and  vexatious.    The  chief  thing  I  have 


REV.    HENRY     MARTYX.  321 

io  mourn  over,  is  my  want  of  more  pov/er  and  fervor 
in  secret  prayer,  especially  when  attempting  to 
plead  for  the  Heathen.  Warmth  does  not  increase* 
Avith  me  in  proportion  to  my  light." 

To  the  temporal  and  spiritual  necessities  of  those 
wretched  beings,  who  statedly  assembled  before  his 
house,  Mr.  Martyn  continued  to  minister  assiduously 
in  the  early  part  of  the  year  1810,  nor  did  he  cease 
to  do  so,  whilst  his  health  permitted,  during  the  re- 
mainder of  his  residence  at  Cawnpore.  The  satis- 
faction of  seeing  their  numbers  increase,  (sometimes 
they  amounted  to  as  many  as  eight  hundred  persons,) 
was  exceeded  by  the  more  solid  gratification  of 
witnessing  in  them  a  growing  attention  to  the  in- 
structions he  delivered.  By  degrees  tumultuous 
applauses  were  succeeded  by  pertinent  remarks,  or 
Avere  lost  in  a  serious  and  pensive  silence.  On  one 
occasion,  particularly,  the  apparent  effect  produced 
by  his  discourse  was  highly  encouraging.  An  extra- 
ordinary impression  was  made  on  his  Mahometan  and 
Pagan  auditory,  whom  he  had  been  addressing  on 
the  awful  subject  of  the  destruction  of  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah,  with  equal  simplicity  and  solemnity. 
"After  finishing,"  he  observes,  "the  narrative  of  the 
fall  of  Sodom,  I  said,  without  further  preparation, 
'Do  you  too  repent  of  your  sins,  and  turn  to  God?* 
It  was  this  simple  sentence  that  seemed  to  come 
Avith  great  powder,  and  prevented  my  proceeding  for 
a  time.  'For  though  you  are  not  like  the  men  of 
Sodom — God  forbid!  you  are  nevertheless  sinners,?- 


322  MEMOIR    OF 

Are  there  no  thieves,  fornicators,  railers,  extortion- 
ers, among  you?  Be  you  sure  that  God  is  angry.  I 
say  not  that  He  will  burn  your  town;  but  He  will 
burn  you.  Haste,  therefore,  out  of  Sodom.  Sodom 
is  the  world,  Avhich  is  full  of  sinners  and  sin.  Come 
out,  therefore,  from  amongst  them:  forsake  not  your 
worldly  business,  but  your  sinful  companions.  Do 
not  be  like  the  world,  lest  you  perish  with  them. 
Do  not,  like  Lot,  linger;  say  not,  to-morrow  Ave 
will  repent,  lest  you  never  see  to-morrow — repent 
to-day.  Then,  as  Lot,  seated  on  the  hill,  beheld  the 
flames  in  safety,  you  also,  sitting  on  the  hills  of 
heaven,  shall  behold  the  ruins  of  the  world  without 
fear.'" 

In  the  midst  of  these  exertions,  an  attack  of  pairi 
in  the  chest,  of  a  severer  kind  than  he  had  experi- 
enced before,  forced  upon  Mr.  Martyn's  mind  the 
unwelcome  conviction  of  the  necessity  of  some  quiet 
and  remission. 

Upon  the  subject  of  his  health,  (a  subject  Avhich 
was  becoming  but  too  interesting  and  alarming  to 
his  friends  in  general,)  he  thus  wTote  to  Mr.  Simeon, 
who  long  before  had  warmly  urged  him  to  the  most 
watchful  care  and  prudence.  "I  read  your  letter  of 
6th  July,  1809,  cautioning  me  against  over  exertion, 
with  the  confidence  of  one  who  had  nothing  to  fear. 
This  was  only  three  weeks  ago.  Since  the  last 
Lord's  day  your  kind  advice  was  brought  home  to 
my  mind,  accompanied  with  painful  regret  that  I 
had  not  paid  more   attention  to  it.     My  work  last 


REV.  HENRY  MARTYN.  323 

Sunday  was  not  more  than  usual,  but  far  too  mucli 
for  me,  I  can  perceive.  First,  service  to  his  Majes- 
ty's 53rd  foot,  in  the  open  air;  then  at  head-quarters; 
in  the  afternoon,  preached  to  eight  hundred  natives; 
at  night,  to  my  httle  flock  of  Europeans.  Which  of 
these  can  I  forego?  The  ministration  to  the  natives 
might  be  in  the  week,  but  I  wish  to  attach  the  idea 
of  hohness  to  the  Sunday.  My  evening  congrega- 
tion, on  Sunday,  is  attended  by  twice  as  many  as  in 
the  week  day:  so  how  can  I  let  this   go?" 

With  what  extreme  reluctance  Mr.  Martyn 
"spared  himself,"  we  see  from  the  above  letter. 
The  progress  of  his  complaint,  however,  compelled 
him  to  overcome  this  reluctance;  and  to  the  In- 
dian congregation,  when  they  next  assembled,  he 
was  obliged  to  declare,  that  his  ill  health  prevented 
him  from  addressing  them;  upon  which  hundreds  of 
voices  were  heard  invoking  for  him  long  life  and 
health;  and  when  he  dispensed  his  alm^  among 
them,  their  thankfulness  seemed  to  know  no  bounds. 
Shortly  after,  however,  he  ventured  to  finish  with 
these  mendicants,  the  history  of  Joseph,  upon  which 
he  had  entered,  and  to  resume  also  the  whole  of 
his  duty  on  the  Sabbath,  with  the  exception  of  one 
service;  and,  notwithstanding  his  extreme  caution  on 
that  point,  he  administered  the  rite  of  baptism  to  an 
old  Hindoo  woman,  "who,  though  she  knew  but  little, 
was  (he  said)  lowliness  itself." 

Whilst  Mr.  Martyn  was  thus  laboring  in  the  very 
fire,  sometimes  yielding  to  the  pressure  of  his  com* 


324  MEMOIR    OF 

plaint,  and  affording  himself  a  little  ease  and  relaxa- 
tion; at  others  renewing  it,  either  bj  private  conver- 
sation or  public  services;  providentially  for  the  pres- 
ervation of  the  remnant  of  his  liealth,  in  the  begin- 
ning of  June,  his  friend  and  brother,  Mr.  Corrie, 
arrived  at  Cawnpore,  on  his  journey  to  his  new  sta- 
tion at  Acrra.  This  Droved  a  most  seasonable  re- 
freshment  and  relief  to  Mr.  Martyn,  both  in  body 
and  mind;  for  his  friend,  though  himself  in  a  Aveak 
state  of  health,  by  permission  of  the  Commander- 
in-Chief,  who  shewed  a  kind  consideration  for  Mr. 
Martyn  In  his  drooping  condition,  undertook  part  of 
the  duty,  leaving  to  Mr.  Martyn  only  the  services  of 
preaching  to  the  Natives  at  noon,  and  to  the  soldiers 
in  the  evening,  in  the  performance  of  which  he  per-" 
suaded  himself  that  he  ought  to  persevere. 

How  greatly  his  friends  became  alarmed  at  this 
juncture,  will  appear  from  the  following  animated 
and  anxious  letter  from  Mr.  Brown: — "You  will 
know,  from  our  inestimable  brother  Corrie,  my  soli- 
citude about  your  health.  If  it  could  make  you 
live  longer,  I  would  give  up  any  child  I  have,  and 
myself  into  the  bargain. — May  it  please  the  adora- 
ble unsearchable  Being  with  whom  we  have  to  do, 
to  lengthen  your  span! — Amidst  the  dead  and  the 
dying,  nothing  can  be  more  apparently  prosperous 
for  the  Church  of  God,  than  the  overwhelm ings  now 
taking  place  in  the  earth.  Christ  will  find  his  way 
to  the  hearts  of  men,  and  there  will  be  a  great  com- 
pany to  praise  Him.     1  know  not  why  we  should 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  325 

wish  to  be  saved,  but  for  this,  purpose;  or  why,  but 
for  this  purpose,  we  should  desire  the  conversion  of 
Heathens,  Turks,  and  Infidels.  To  find  them  at  the 
feet  of  Jesus  will  be  a  lovely  sight.  Our  feeble  voi- 
ces cannot  praise  him  much.  We  shall  be  glad  to 
see  them  clapping  their  hands  and  casting  their 
crowns  before  him:  for  all  in  heaven  and  earth  can- 
not sufficiently  praise  liim.  I  see  no  cause  to  wish 
for  any  thing  but  the  advancement  of  that  kingdom, 
by  which  there  is  some  accession  of  praise  to  his 
holy  and  blessed  name.  We  grasp  and  would  wish 
to  gather  all  to  Christ,  but  without  him  we  can  do 
nothing:  he  will  gather  to  himself  those  that  are 
his." 

From  this  time  till  the  month  of  September,  Mr. 
Martyn  persisted  in  his  ministration  to  the  Natives, 
taking  for  the  subject  of  several  successive  dis- 
courses, the  Ten  Commandments.  On  one  of  these 
occasions,  he  describes  himself  as  speaking  with 
great  ease  in  his  body  and  joy  in  his  heart.  "Bless- 
ed be  God,  (he  says,)  my  strength  is  returning.  O 
may  I  live  to  proclaim  salvation  through  a  Savior's 
blood.*'  But  this  sunshine  w^as  soon  overclouded; 
and  shortly  after  he  again  relapsed. 

Such  was  the  sinking  state  of  his  health,  notwith- 
standing die  seasonable  and  important  assistance 
derived  from  the  presence  of  Mr.  Corrie,  that  a 
removal  from  Cawnpore,  either  to  make  trial  of 
the  effect  of  a  sea  voyage,  or  to  return  for  a  short 
time  to  England,  became  now  a  matter  of  urgent 
42 


326'  MEMOIR    or 

necessity.  The  adoption  of  tlie  latter  expedient 
he  had  once  determined  upon,  conceiving  that  his 
complaint  might  arise  from  relaxation,  and  that  a 
bracing  air  would,  in  that  case,  be  beneficial.  Nor 
was  this  resolution  formed  without  a  reluctant 
struggle  in  his  mind;  for  strongly  as  his  affections 
were  drawn  towards  his  native  country,  India  had 
attractions  for  him  of  a  more  powerful,  because  of 
a  more  exalted  kind. 

The  precise  period  of  his  departure  from  Cawn- 
pore,  as  well  as  the  place  of  his  ultimate  destination, 
were  fixed  by  information  received  from  Calcutta, 
concerning  the  Persian  version  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. 

The  version  which  had  been  first  made  in  that  lan- 
guage, two  Gospels  of  which  had  been  printed,  was 
considered,  on  further  inspection  and  more  mature 
consideration,  to  require  too  many  amendments  to 
admit  of  its  immediate  publication.  It  was  accord- 
ingly returned  to  the  translator,  who,  under  the  su- 
perintendance  of  Mr.  Martyn,  bestowed  so  much 
pains  and  attention  upon  it,  as  to  render  it  a  new, 
and,  it  was  hoped,  a  sound  and  accurate  work.  By 
those,  however,  who  were  considered  competent 
judges  at  Calcutta,  it  was  still  deemed  unfit  (or  gen- 
eral circulation,  inasmuch  at  it  was  thought  to  abound 
with  Arabic  idioms,  and  to  be  written  in  a  style, 
pleasing  indeed  to  the  learned,  but  not  sufliciently 
level  to  the  capacities  of  the  mass  of  common  read- 
ers. 


REV.    HENRY     MARTYN.**  -327 

At  this  decision,  Mr.  Martyn  was  as  keenly  dis- 
appointed, as  he  was  delighted  at  the  complete  suc- 
cess of  the  Hindoostanee  version,  which,  on  the 
minutest  and  most  rigorous  revision,  was  pronounced 
to  be  idiomatic  and  plain.  But  meeting  the  disap- 
pointment with  that  spring  and  elasticity  of  mind, 
which  is  the  result  of  lively  faith,  he  instantly  re- 
solved, after  committing  his  way  to  God  in  prayer, 
and  consulting  his  friends,  Mr.  Corrie  and  Mr. 
Brown,  on  the  subject,  to  go  into  Arabia  and  Persia, 
for  the  purpose  of  collecting  the  opinions  of  learned 
Natives,  with  respect  to  the  Persian  translation, 
which  had  been  rejected,  as  well  as  the  Arabic 
version,  which  was  yet  incomplete,  though  nearly 
finished. 

Mr.  Brown's  reply,  on  this  purpose,  being  commu- 
nicated to  him,  is  too  characteristic,  both  of  him- 
self and  Mr.  Martyn,  to  be  omitted.  "But  can  I 
then  (said  he)  bring  myself  to  cut  the  string  and  let 
you  go?  I  confess  I  could  not,  if  your  bodily  frame 
was  strong,  and  promised  to  last  for  half  a  century. 
But  as  you  bum  with  the  intenseness  and  rapid 
blaze  of  heated  phosphorus,  why  should  we  not 
make  the  most  of  you?  Your  flame  may  last  as 
long,  and  perhaps  longer,  in  Arabia,  than  in  India. 
Where  should  the  phcenix  build  her  odoriferous 
nest,  but  in  the  land  prophetically  called  'the  bless- 
ed;' and  where  shall  we  ever  expect,  but  from  that 
country,  the  true  comforter  to  come  to  the  nations 
of  the  East.     I  contemplate  your  New  Testament 


328  MEMOIR  OF 

springing  up,  as  it  were,  from  dust  and  ashes,  but 
beautiful  as  the  wings  of  a  dove  covered  with  sil- 
ver, and  her  feathers  like  yellow  gold." 

Towards  the  end  of  September,  therefore,  Mr. 
Martjn  put  himself  in  readiness  to  leave  Cawnpore; 
and  on  his  preaching,  for  the  last  time,  to  the  na- 
tives, and  giving  them  an  account  of  the  life,  the 
miracles,  the  death,  and  the  resurrection  of  Jesus, 
as  well  as  a  summary  of  his  heavenly  doctrine — ex- 
horting them  to  believe  in  him,  and  taking  them  to 
record  that  he  had  declared  to  them  the  glad 
tidings  of  the  Gospel — it  was  but  too  apparent  that 
they  would  never  again  hear  those  sounds  of 
wisdom  and  mercy  from  his  lips.  On  the  open- 
ing of  the  new  church,  also,  where  he  preach- 
ed to  his  own  countrymen,  amidst  the  happi- 
ness and  thankfulness  which  abounded  at  seeing 
"a  temple  of  God  erected,  and  a  door  opened  for 
the  service  of  the  Almighty,  in  a  place  where,  from 
the  foundation  of  the  world,  the  tabernacle  of  the 
true  God  had  never  stood,"  a  mournful  foreboding 
could  not  be  suppressed,  that  he,  who  had  been  the 
cause  of  its  erection,  and  who  now  ministered  in  it 
for  the  first  time,  in  the  beauty  of  holiness,  would 
minister  there  no  more.  They  beheld  him  standing 
on  the  verge  of  the  eternal  world,  and  ready  to 
take  a  splendid  flight.  "My  father,  my  father,  the 
chariot  of  Israel  and  the  horsemen  thereof,"  were 
the  sentiments  with  which  many  gazed  on  him.  One 


REV.     HENRY    MARTYN.  329 

of  his  auditors*  on  this  solemn  occasion,  describes, 
in  the  following  words,  the  feelings  of  many  others, 
in  depicting  her  own: — "He  began  in  a  weak  and 
faint  voice,  being  at  that  time  in  a  very  bad  state 
of  health:  but  gathering  strength  as  he  proceeded, 
he  seemed  as  one  inspired  from  on  high.  Never 
was  an  audience  more  affected.  The  next  day,  this 
holy  and  heavenly  man  left  Cawnpore,  and  the  so- 
ciety of  many  who  sincerely  loved  and  admired  him. 
He  left  us  with  little  hope  of  seeing  him  again, 
until,  by  the  mercy  of  our  Savior,  we  meet  with 
him  in  our  Father's  house." 

On  the  first  day  of  October,  the  day  following 
the  delivery  of  this  affecting  discourse,  after  fer- 
vently uniting  in  prayer  with  his  beloved  friend  and 
brother,  Mr.  Corrie,  not  again  to  meet  him  and 
worship  with  him,  until  separations  shall  cease  for 
ever,  and  prayer  shall  be  changed  into  endless  hal- 
lelujahs, Mr.  Martyn  departed  from  Cawnpore,  for 
Mr.  Brown's  residence,  at  Aldeen,  which  he  safely 
reached  on  the  evening  of  the  last  day  of  the 
month.  In  his  voyage  down  the  Ganges,  nothing 
of  particular  moment  occurred,  except  that  he  visit- 
ed the  remains  of  his  flock  of  the  67th,  at  Gazee- 
pore,  "where,  (said  he,)  sad  was  the  sight — many 
of  the  most  hopeful  were  ashamed  to  look  me  in 
the  face,  and  sorrow  remained  in  the  faces  of 
those  who  had  remained  faithful. — About  nine  of 

*  Mrs.  Sherwood. 


330  MEMOIR    OF 

these  came  to  me  in  my  boat,  when  we  sung  the 
hjmn  which  begins,  'Come  ye  that  love  the  Lord;' 
after  w^hich,  I  spoke  to  and  prayed  with  them,  earn- 
estly and  affectionately,  if  ever  I  did  in  my  life." 
This  painful  interview  was  succeeded  by  another, 
not  uninteresting,  with  Antonio,  a  monk,  at  Bogli- 
pore.  "We  sat  in  the  evening,  (Mr.  Martyn  writes,) 
under  a  shed  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  began 
to  dispute  in  Latin  about  the  Church.  He  grew  a 
little  angry,  and  I  do  not  know  what  might  have 
been  the  end  of  it,  but  the  church  bell  rang  for 
vespers,  and  terminated  the  controversy.  The 
church  is  in  his  garden;  a  very  neat  building,  hung 
round  with  some  little  mean  engravings.  A  light 
was  burning  in  the  chancel,  and  an  image  of  the 
Virgin  behind  a  curtain,  as  usual,  over  the  table. 
Antonio  did  not  fail  to  bow  to  the  image;  but  he 
did  it  in  a  w^ay  that  shewed  he  was  ashamed  of  him- 
self; at  least  so  I  thought.  He  read  some  passages 
from  the  Hindoostanee  Gospels,  which  I  was  sur- 
prised to  find  so  well  done.  I  begged  him  to  go  on 
with  the  Epistles.  He  had  translated  also  the 
Missal,  equally  well  done.  He  shewed  me  the  four 
Gospels  in  Persian,  very  poorly  done.  I  rejoiced 
unfeignedly  at  seeing  so  much  done,  though  he  fol- 
loweth  not  with  us.  The  Lord  bless  his  labors;  and 
whiK»  he  watereth  others,  may  he  be  watered  him- 
self!" 

Restored,  after  an  absence   of  four  years,  to  an 
intercourse  with  his  friends,  who,  on  beholding  his 


RET.    HENRY   MARTYN.  '331 

pallid  countenance  and  enfeebled  frame,  knew  not 
whether  to  mourn  most  or  to  rejoice,  Mr.  Martyn 
partook  largely  of  that  pure  and  refined  happiness, 
which  is  peculiar  to  one  of  his  vivid  feelings  and 
heavenly  affections,  in  that  society  where  they  that 
"fear  the  Lord  speak  often  one  to  another,  and  the 
Lord  hearkens  and  hears,  and  a  book  of  remem- 
brance is  written  before  him  for  them  that  fear  the 
Lord,  and  think  upon  his  name."  Malachi  iii,  16. 
The  following  letter  to  Mr.  Simeon  expresses  the 
heart-felt  sentiments  of  one*  of  these  friends,  to 
whom  India  in  general,  and  Calcutta  in  particular, 
stand  so  greatly  indebted,  after  an  interview  che- 
quered alternately  by  the  varying  lights  and  shades 
of  joy  and  distress.  "This  bright  and  lovely  jewel 
first  gratified  our  eyes  on  Saturday  last.  He  is  on 
his  way  to  Arabia,  where  he  is  going  in  pursuit  of 
health  and  knowledge.  You  know  his  genius:  and 
what  gigantic  strides  he  takes  in  every  thing.  He 
has  some  great  plan  in  his  mind — of  which  I  am  no 
competent  judge,  but  as  far  as  I  do  understand  it, 
the  object  is  far  too  grand  for  one  short  life,  and 
much  beyond  his  feeble,  exhausted  frame.  Feeble 
it  is  indeed!  how  fallen  and  changed!  His  complaint 
lies  in  his  lungs:  and  appears  to  be  a  beginning  con- 
sumption. But  let  us  hope  the  sea  air  may  revive 
him,  and  that  change  of  place  and  pursuit  may  do 
him  essential  service,  and  continue  his  life  many 
years.     In  all  other  respects  he  is  exactly  the  same 

*  Tbe  Rev.  Mr.  Thotoason. 


332  MEMOIR    OJt 

as  he  was;  he  shines  in  all  the  dignity  of  love,  and 
seems  to  carry  about  him,  such  a  heavenly  majesty, 
as  impresses  the  mind  beyond  description.  But  if 
he  talks  much,  though  in  a  low  voice,  he  sinks,  and 
you  are  reminded  of  his  being  dust  and  ashes." 

"So  infirm  was  the  state  of  Mr.  Martyn's  health, 
that  conversation  with  his  friends,  soon  produced  a 
recurrence  of  those  symptoms  which  had  occasioned 
alarm  at  Cawnpore;  and  yet,  notwithstanding  this, 
Avith  one  exception  only,  he  preached  every  Sabbath 
at  Calcutta,  until  he  tinally  left  it.  Animated  with 
the  zeal  of  that  Apostle,  who  at  Troas  continued  his 
discourse  till  midnight,  he  could  not  refrain  from 
lifting  up  his  voice,  weak  as  it  was,  in  divine  warnings 
and  invitations,  in  a  place  where  something  seemed 
to  intimate  that  he  never  again  should  declare  God's 
judgment  on  the  impenitent,  nor  invite  the  weary 
and  heavy  laden  to  Jesus  Christ  for  rest." 

"1  now  pass,"  said  Mr.  Martyn  on  the  first  day  of 
the  year  1811,  "from  India  to  Arabia,  not  knowing 
the  things  which  shall  befal  me  there,  but  assured 
that  an  ever  faithful  God  and  Savior  will  be  with 
me,  in  all  places  whithersoever  I  go.  May  he  guide 
me  and  protect  me,  and  after  prospering  me  in  the 
thing  \\  hereunto  I  go,  bring  me  back  again  to  my 
delightful  work  in  India.  I  am  perhaps  leaving  it 
to  see  it  no  more — but  the  will  of  God  be  done;  my 
times  are  in  his  hand,  and  he  will  cut  them  short  as 
shall  be  most  for  my  good;  Avith  this  assurance,  I 
feci  that  nothing  need  interrupt  my  work  or  my 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  333 

On  the  7th  day  of  January,  after  having  preached 
a  sermon  on  the  Anniversary  of  the  Calcutta  Bible 
Society,  which  was  afterwards  printed,  and  entitled, 
"Christian  India;  or,  an  Appeal  on  behalf  of  nine 
hundred  thousand  Christians  in  India  ivho  want  the 
Bible;^^  and  after  having,  for  the  last  time,  addressed 
the  inhabitants  of  Calcutta,  from  that  text  of  Scrip 
ture — "But  one  thing  is  needful,"  Mr.  Martyn  de- 
parted for  ever  from  those  shores,  where  he  had 
fondly  and  fully  purposed  to  spend  all  his  days. 


43 


MEMOIR. 


PART  III. 


In  the  two  former  periods  of  Mr.  Martyn's  life,  we 
have  seen  in  him — the  successful  candidate  for  aca- 
demical distinctions — the  faithful  and  laborious  Pas- 
tor— the  self-denying  and  devoted  Missionary — the 
indefatigable  Translator  of  the  Scriptures — the 
Preacher  of  the  Gospel  to  the  Heathen.  In  thisj 
the  last  and  shortest  portion  of  the  contracted  term 
of  his  earthly  existence,  we  are  called  to  contem- 
plate his  character  in  a  new  and  yet  more  striking 
light,  and  shall  have  occasion  to  admire  in  him  the 
erect  and  courageous  spirit  of  the  Christian  con- 
fessor. 

The  occurrences,  which  transpired  between  his 
departure  from  the  mouth  of  the  Hoogley  and  his 
arrival  at  Sbiraz,  occupy  an  interval  of  five  months* 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  335 

They  are  partly  recorded  in  the  following  extracts 
from  his  private  Journal,  and  partly  related  in  a 
letter  to  Mr.  Corrie,  from  Shiraz. 

''Bay  of  Bengal^  January^  1811. — "I  took  a  pas- 
sage in  the  ship  Ahmoody,  Capt.  Kinsay,  bound  to 
Bombay.  One  of  my  fellow  passengers  was  the 
Honorable  Mr.  Elphinstone,  who  was  proceeding 
to  take  the  Residency  of  Poonah.  His  agreeable 
manners  and  classical  acquirements,  made  me  think 
myself  fortunate,  indeed,in  having  such  a  companion, 
and  I  found  his  company  the  most  agreeable  part  of 
my  voyage. 

"Our  Captain  was  a  pupil  of  Swartz's,  of  whom 
he  communicated  many  interesting  particulars. 
Swartz,  with  Kolhoff  and  Joenicke,  kept  a  school  for 
half-cast  children,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  Tan- 
jore,  but  went  every  night  to  the  Tanjore  Church, 
to  meet  about  sixty  or  seventy  of  the  King's  regi- 
ment, who  assembled  for  devotional  purposes:  af- 
terwards he  officiated  to  their  wives  and  children  in 
Portuguese.  At  the  school,  Swartz  used  to  read  in 
the  morning,  out  of  the  'German  Meditation  for 
every  Day  in  the  Year;'  at  night  he  had  family 
prayer.  Joenicke  taught  them  geography;  KolhoiiJ 
writing  and  arithmetic.  They  had  also  masters  in 
Persian  and  Malabar. 

"At  the  time,  when  the  present  Rajah  was  in  dan- 
ger of  his  life  from  the  usurper  of  his  uncle's  throne, 
Swartz  used  to  sleep  in  the  same  room  with  him. 


33.6  fllEJMC^R   OF 

This  was  efficient  protection,  *for  (said  the  Cap 
tain,)  Swartz  was  considered  by  the  natives  as  some^ 
thing  more  than  mortal'  The  old  Rajah,  at  his 
death,  committed  his  nephew  to  Swartz. 

"All  down  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  I  could  do  nothing 
but  sit  listless  on  the  poop,  viewing  the  wide  waste 
of  waters — a  sight  that  would  have  been  beautiful, 
had  I  been  well. 

"On  the  ]  8th  we  came  in  sight  of  the  island  of 
Ceylon. 

"In  my  Hebrew  researches  I  scarcely  ever  felt  so 
discouraged.  All  the  knowledge  I  thought  I  had 
acquired,  became  uncertain,  and  consequently  I  was 
unhappy.  It  was  in  vain  that  I  reflected,  that  thous- 
ands live  and  die  happy,  without  such  knowledge  as 
I  am  in  search  of. 

*^20th — Sunday. — Had  Divine  Service  in  the 
cabin,  in  the  morning,  but  waited  in  vain  for  what  I 
call  a  proper  opportunity  of  introducing  family 
prayer.  When  shall  I  have  done  with  this  pernic- 
ious delicacy,  that  would  rather  yield  up  souls  than 
suffer  a  wound  itself? 

''22nd» — Came  to  an  anchor  off  Columbo.  In  the 
afternoon,  went  on  shore  with  Mr.  Elphinstone,  and 
walked  to  a  cinnamon  garden.  The  road  all  along 
was  beautiful:  tall  groves  of  cocoanut  trees  on  each 
side,  with  the  Natives'  tents  amongst  them,  opened 
here  and  there,  and  gave  a  view  of  the  sea.  The 
Cingalese,  who  accompanied  us,  told  the  Natives  who 
saw  us,  we  were  Protestant  Christians.     On  our  way 


REV.  HENRY  MARTYN.  337 

back,  we  saw  a  party  of  Cingalese  Christians  return- 
mg  home  from  a  church-yard,  where  they  had  been 
burying  a  corpse.  I  crossed  over  to  them,  and  found 
their  Catechist,  who,  however,  spoke  too  little  En- 
glish to  give  me  any  information. 

'^23. — Sailed  from  Ceylon,  across  the  Gulf  of  Ma- 
naar,  where  there  is  generally  a  swell,  but  which  we 
found  smooth.  ■*  Having  passed  Cape  Cotnorin,  and 
come  into  smooth  water,  I  proposed  family  prayer 
every  night  in  the  cabin — when  no  objection  was 
made.  Spoke  a  ship  to-day,  conveying  pilgrims 
from  Manilla  to  Jidda.  The  first  object,  discernible 
under  the  high  mountains  at  Cape  Comorin,  was  a 
church.  As  we  passed  along  the  shore,  churches 
appeared  every  two  or  three  miles,  with  a  row  of 
huts  on  each  side.  The  churches  are  like  the  meet- 
ing-houses in  England,  with  a  porch  at  the  West  end. 
Perhaps  many  of  these  poor  people,  with  all  the  in- 
cumbrances of  Popery,  are  moving  towards  the  king- 
dom of  heaven. 

'^20.— Anchored  ofFAIapee.  Learned  that  there 
were  here  about  three  hundred  Christians,  Portu- 
guese, besides  the  fishermen  cast.  The  church  was 
a  temporary  erection,  but  a  stone  edifice  is  to  be 
raised  on  the  spot.  The  Portuguese  Padre  resides 
at  another  church  about  three  miles  off. 

"24th  to  31st.— Generally  unwell.  In  prayer,  my 
views  of  my  Savior  have  been  inexpressibly  consol- 
atory. How  glorious  the  privilege  that  we  exist 
but  in  him  J  without  him  I  lose  the  principle  of  life, 


338  MEMom   OF 

and  am  left  to  the  power  of  native  corruption,  a 
rotten  branch,  a  dead  thing,  that  none  can  make 
use  of.  This  mass  of  corruption,  when  it  meets  the 
Lord,  changes  its  nature,  and  lives  throughout,  and 
is  regarded  bj  God,  as  a  member  of  Christ's  body. 
This  is  mj  bliss,  that  Christ  is  all.  Upheld  by  him, 
I  smile  at  death.  It  is  no  longer  a  question  about 
my  own  worthiness:  I  glory  in  God,  through  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

**Feb.  7. — Arrived  at  Goa.  Spent  the  evening 
at  Mr.  ^  *  *'s,  to  whom  I  had  letters  of  recommend- 
ation. The  next  day  I  went  up,  with  Mr.  Elphin- 
stone  and  others,  to  Old  Goa,  where  we  were  shewn 
the  convents  and  churches.  At  the  convent  of  the 
Nuns,  observing  one  reading,  I  asked  to  see  the 
book.  It  v/as  handed  through  the  grate,  and  as  it 
was  a  Latin  prayer-book,  I  wrote  in  it  something 
about  having  the  world  in  the  heart,  though  flying 
from  it  to  a  convent.  With  two  or  three  half- 
native  monks  I  tried  to  converse,  but  they  knew  so 
little  Latin,  that  I  could  not  gain  much  from  them: 
the  Portuguese  Padres  seemed  to  know  still  less. 
After  visiting  the  tomb  of  Francis  Xavier,  we  went 
to  the  Inquisition:  we  Avere  not  admitted  beyond 
the  antichamber.  The  priest  we  found  there  (a 
secular)  conversed  a  little  on  the  subject,  and  said, 
it  was  the  ancient  practice,  that  if  any  spoke  against 
religion,  they  were  conducted  thither  and  chastised; 
that  there  were  some  prisoners  there  under  exam- 
ination at  that  time.     No  one  dares  resist  the  offi« 


reV.  henry  martyn.  339 

cer9  of  the  Inquisition:  the  moment  they  touch  him, 
he  surre:^ders  himself.  Colonel  **  ^  %  who  is  writing 
an  account  of  the  Portuguese  in  this  settlement, 
told  me,  that  the  population  of  the  Portuguese  ter- 
ritory was  two  hundred  and  sixty  thousand,  of 
whom  two  hundred  thousand,  he  did  not  doubt, 
were  Christians. — At  midnight  we  sailed. 

"I7th. — (Sunday.)— A  tempestuous  sea  throwing 
us  all  into  disorder,  we  had  no  service. 

"18th. — Anchored  at  Bombay. — This  day  I  finish 
the  thirtieth  year  of  my  unprofitable  life:  an  age 
at  which  David  Brainerd  finished  his  course.  I  am 
now  at  the  age  when  the  Savior  of  men  began  his 
ministry — when  John  the  Baptist  called  a  nation  to 
repentance.  Let  me  think  now  for  myself,  and  act 
with  energy.  Hitherto,  I  have  made  my  youth  and 
insignificance,  an  excuse  for  sloth  and  imbecility:  now 
let  me  have  a  character,  and  act  boldly  for  God. 

"19th. — Went  on  shore.  Waited  on  the  Gover- 
nor, and  was  kindly  accommodated  with  a  room  at 
the  Government-House. 

"21st. — Talked  to  the  Governor  about  what  we 
had  been  doing  at  Bengal,  and  begged  that  he 
would  interest  himself,  and  procure  us  all  the  infor- 
mation he  could  about  the  Native  Christians:  this 
he  promised  to  do.  At  Bombay,  there  are  twenty 
thousand  Christians;  at  Salsette,  twenty-one  thou- 
sand; and  at  this  place,  there  are  forty-one  ^thou- 
sand, using  the  Mahratta  language. 


24Q  MEMOIR   OF 

"22ncl.— At  the  Courier  press^  saw  the  Malay- 
ahm  New  Testament  in  print,  as  far  as  the  11th  of 
John. 

"24th. — Preached  at  the  Bombay  Church. 

"March  5. — Feeroz,  a  Parse e,  who  is  consideretl 
as  the  most  learned  man  here,  called  to  converse 
about  religion.  He  spoke  Persian^  and  seemed  fa- 
miliar with  Arabic.  He  began  with  saying,  that  no 
one  religion  had  more  evidences  of  its  truth  than 
another,  for  that  all  the  miracles  of  the  respective 
founders  depended  upon  tradition. — This  I  denied. 
He  acknowledged  that  the  writer  of  the  Zendavesta 
was  not  contemporary  with  Zoroaster.  After  dis- 
puting and  raising  objections,  he  was  left  without  an 
answer,  but  continued  to  cavil.  *Why  (said  he)  did 
the  Magi  see  the  star  in  the  East,  and  none  else? 
from  what  part  of  the  East  did  they  come.^^  and 
how  was  it  possible  that  their  King  should  come 
to  Jerusalem  in  seven  days?'  The  last  piece  of  in- 
formation, he  had  from  the  Armenians.  I  asked 
him,  'Whether  he  had  any  thoughts  of  changing  his 
religion.'^'  He  replied,  with  a  contemptuous  smile, 
'No:  every  man  is  safe  in  his  own  religion.'  I  asked^ 
him,  'What  sinners  must  do  to  obtain  pardon.^'  'Re- 
pent,' said  he.  I  asked,  'Would  repentance  satisfy 
a  creditor  or  a  judge?'  'Why,  is  it  not  said  in  the 
Gospel,'  rejoined  he,  'that  we  must  repent?'  I  re- 
plied, 'It  cannot  be  proved  from  the  Gospel,  that 
repentance  alone  is  sufficient,  or  good  works,  or  both.' 
'Where  then  is  the  glory  of  salvation?'  he  said.  I  re- 


REV.   HENRY  MARTYN.  341 

plied,  'The  Atonement  of  Christ.'  'All  this  (said 
he)  I  know:  but  so  the  Mahometans  say,  that  Ho^ 
sjn  was  an  atonement  for  the  sins  of  men.'  He 
then  began  to  criticise  the  translations  which  he 
saw  on  the  table,  and  wondered  why  they  were  not 
made  in  such  Persian  as  Avas  now  in  use.  He  look- 
ed at  the  beginning  of  the  8th  of  Romans,  in  the 
Bartlett  Buildings'  Arabic  Testament,  but  could 
gather  no  meaning  at  all  from  it. 

"6th. — He  called  again,  and  he  gave  me  some  ac- 
count of  his  own  people.  He  said  that  they  consid- 
ered the  terms  Magi  and  Guebr  as  terms  of  re- 
proach, and  that  their  proper  name  was  Musdy- 
asni;  that  no  books  were  written  in  their  most  an- 
cient language,  namely,  the  Pahlavee,  but  Zoro- 
aster's twenty-one;  of  these  twenty-one,  only  two 
remain.  He  shewed  me  some  of  a  poem  which 
he  is  writing;  the  subject,  is  the  conquest  of  India 
by  the  English;  the  title,  Georglad.  He  is  cer- 
tainly an  ingenious  man,  and  possesses  one  of  the 
most  agreeable  qualities  a  disputant  can  possess, 
which  is — patience;  he  never  interrupted  me,  and 
if  I  rudely  interrupted  him,  he  was  silent  in  a  mo- 
ment. 

"7th. — Mahomed  Jan,  a  very  young  man,  son  of 
Mehdee  Ali  Khan,  Lord  Wellesley's  Envoy  to  Per- 
sia, called.  I  should  not  have  thought  him  worth 
arguing  with,  he  seemed  such  a  boy;  but  his  fluency 
in  Persian  pleased  me  so  much,  that  I  was  glad  to 
hear  him  speak:  he  was,  besides,  familiar  with  all 
44 


342  MEMOIR   OF 

the  arguments  the  MouluAvees  usually  bring  forward; 
moreover,  I  thought  that  perhaps  his  youthful  mind 
might  be  more  open  to  conviction  than  that  of  the 
hoary  Moollahs. 

"9. — Visited  the  Elephanta  Island. 

"10. — (Sunday.) — This  morning  Feeroz  called  be- 
fore church.  He  said  that  their  order  of  priest- 
hood consisted  of  the  descendants  of  Zoroaster,  and 
were  called  Mobid;  that  four  times  a  month  they 
assembled,  viz.  the  6th,  ]  3th,  20th,  and  27th:  stran- 
gers not  allowed  to  see  the  sacred  fire,  'though,' 
said  the  old  man,  significantly,  'I  think  there  is  noth- 
ing unlawful  in  it,  but  the  common  people  do.'  He 
began  to  profess  himself  a  Deist.  'In  our  religion, 
(said  he,)  they  believe,  as  Zoroaster  taught,  that 
the  heavens  and  earth  were  made;  but  I  believe  no 
such  thing.' 

"16. — Walked  at  night  with  a  respectable  Jew 
of  Bussorah,  whose  name  was  Ezra:  he  knew  next 
to  nothing. 

"35. — Embarked  on  board  the  Benares,  Captain 
Sealy,  who,  in  company  with  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
Captain  Hepbourne,  was  ordered  to  cruise  in  the 
Persian  Gulf,  against  the  Arab  pirates.  We  got 
under  weigh  immediately,  and  were  outside  the 
land  before  night. 

"30. — The  European  part  of  the  ship's  crew, 
consisting  of  forty-five  sailors  and  twelve  artillery- 
men, were  assembled  on  the  quarter-deck  for  divine 
service.     I  wondered  to  see  so  many  of  the  seamen 


^^» 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.     .  343 

inattentive:  I  afterwards  found  that  most  of  them 
were  foreigners,  French,  Spanish,  Portuguese,  &c. 
We  had  prayers  in  the  cabin  every  night.  In  the 
afternoon  I  used  to  read  to  a  sick  man  below,  and 
two  or  three  others  would  come  to  hear. 

"April  14.  (Easter  Sunday.) — Came  in  sight  of 
the  Persian  coast,  near  Tiz,  in  Meehran. 

"21. — Anchored  at  Muscat,  in  Arabia. 

"23. — Went  on  shore  with  the  captain,  to  the 
Indian  broker's,  at  whose  house  we  met  the  Vizier, 
by  appointment.  There  was  an  unimportant  con- 
ference, at  which  I  assisted  as  interpreter.  The 
Sultan  was  a  few  miles  off,  fighting  with  the  We- 
chabites. 

"24. — Went  with  our  English  party,  two  Ar- 
menians,  and  an  Arab  soldier,  to  see  a  garden;  there 
was  nothing  very  wonderful  in  the  garden;  but  a  lit- 
tle green  in  this  frightful  wilderness  was,  no  doubt, 
to  the  Arab  a  great  curiosity.  His  African  slave 
argued  with  me  for  Mahommed,  and  did  not  know 
how  to  let  me  go,  he  was  so  interested  in  the  busi- 
ness. 

"25. — The  Arab  soldier  and  his  slave  came  on 
board  to  take  leave.  They  asked  to  see  the  Gos- 
pel. The  instant  I  gave  them  a  copy  in  Arabic,  the 
poor  boy  began  to  read,  and  carried  it  off  as  a  great 
prize,  which  I  trust  he  will  find  it  to  be.  This  night 
warped  out  of  the  Cove,  and  got  under  weigh.  I 
had  not  a  night's  rest  from  the  day  we  entered  it. 


344  MEMOIR    OF 

"26  — Came  in  sight  of  the  Persian  shore  again. 

'•28. — (Sunday.) — At  anchor  in  Jasques  Bay, 
which  the  artillery  officer  surveyed.  Captain  Hep- 
bourne  brought  his  crew  to  church.  Went  on 
board  his  ship  to  see  two  Armenian  young  men,  who 
informed  me  of  the  conversion  of  Mirza  Ishmael, 
son  of  the  Siiehooi  Islam,  of  Isfahan,  who  was  gone 
to  Bombay  for  baptism. 

"May  7. — Finished  a  work  in  which  1  have  been 
engaged  a  fortnight,  a  new  arrangement  of  all  the 
Hebrew  roots,  classing  them  according  to  the  last 
letter,  the  last  but  one,  &c. 

"20. — After  a  troublesome  North-wester,  we  have 
now  a  fair  wind,  carrying  us  gently  to  Bushire. 

"22.— Landed  at  Bushire." 

"A  few  days  after  my  letter  to  you  from  Muscat, 
(Mr.  Martyn  wrote  to  Mr.  Corrie,  after  a  journey  to 
Shiraz,  in  which  his  life  was  endangered,)  we  sailed 
for  the  Gulf,  and  continued  cruising  a  month,  gener- 
ally in  sight  of  Persia  or  Arabia,  sometimes  of  both. 
On  the  22nd  of  May  we  landed  at  Bushire,  and  took 
up  our  lodging  with  Mr.  *  *  *.  We  were  now  in  a 
new  situation. — Mrs.  *  *  *  and  her  sister,  both  Ar- 
menians, spoke  nothing  but  Persian  at  table;  the 
servants  and  children  the  same.  One  day  a  party 
of  Armenian  ladies  came  to  kiss  my  hand — the 
usual  mark  of  respect  shewn  to  their  own  priests;  I 
was  engaged  at  the  time,  but  they  begged  to  have 
it  explained,  that  they  had  not  been  deficient  in 
^Ihelr  duly.     The  Armenian  priest  was  as  dull  as 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  345 

they  usually  are.  He  sent  for  me,  one  Sunday  even- 
ing, to  come  to  church;  though  he  was  ministering 
when  I  entered,  he  came  out,  and  brought  me  within 
the  rails  of  the  altar;  and  at  the  time  of  incense, 
CENSED  me  four  times,  while  the  others  were  hon- 
ored with  only  one  fling  of  the  censer:  this  the  old 
man  begged  me  afterwards  to  notice.  But  though 
his  civility  was^well  meant,  1  could  hardly  prevail 
upon  myself  to  thank  him  for  it.  It  was  due,  he 
said,  to  a  Padre:  thus  we  provide  for  the  honor  of 
our  own  order,  not  contented  w  ith  that  degree  of 
respect  which  really  belongs  to  us.  Walking  after- 
wards with  him  by  the  sea-shore,  I  tried  to  engage 
him  in  a  conversation  respecting  the  awful  impor- 
tance of  our  office,  but  nothing  could  be  more  vapid 
and  inane  than  his  remarks. 

"One  day  w^e  called  on  the  Governor,  a  Persian 
Khan:  he  was  very  particular  in  his  attentions, 
seated  me  in  his  own  seat,  and  then  sat  by  my  side. 
After  the  usual  salutations  and  inquiries,  the  calean 
(hooka)  was  introduced,  then  coffee  in  china  cups 
placed  within  silver  ones,  then  calean,  then  some 
rose-water  syrup,  then  calean.  As  there  were 
long  intervals  often,  in  which  nought  was  heard  but 
the  gurgling  of  the  calean,  I  looked  around,  with 
some  anxiety,  for  something  to  discourse  upon,  and 
observing  the  windows  to  be  of  stained  glass,  I 
began  to  question  him  about  the  art  of  coloring 
glass,  observing,  that  the  modern  Europeans  were 
inferior  to  the  ancient  in  the  manufacture  of  that 


346  MEMOIR    OF 

article.  He  expre:Lsed  his  surprise  that  Europeans, 
who  were  so  skilful  in  making  watches,  should  fail 
in  any  handicraft  work.  I  could  not  help  recollect- 
ing the  Emperor  of  China's  sarcastic  remark  on  the 
Europeans  and  their  arts,  and  so  I  dropped  the  sub- 
ject. On  his  calean,  (I  said  hooka  at  first,  but  he 
did  not  understand  me,)  I  noticed  several  little  paint- 
ings of  the  Virgin  and  Child,  and  asked  him  wheth- 
er such  things  were  not  unlawful  among  the  Ma- 
hometans? He  answered,  very  cooly,  'Yes;'  as 
much  as  to  say,  'What  then?'  I  lamented  that  the 
Eastern  Christians  should  use  such  things  in  their 
churches.  He  repeated  the  words  of  a  good  man, 
who  was  found  fault  with  for  having  an  image  before 
him  while  at  prayer:  'God  is  nearer  to  me  than  that 
image,  so  that  I  do  not  see  it.'  We  then  talked  of 
the  ancient  Caliphs  of  Bagdad,  their  magnificence, 
regard  for  learning,  &;c.  This  man,  I  afterwards 
found,  is,  like  most  of  the  other  Grandees  of  the 
East,  a  murderer.  He  was  appointed  to  the  Gov- 
ernment of  Bushire,  in  the  place  of  an  Arab  Shekh, 
in  whose  family  it  had  been  many  years.  The 
Persian,  dreading  the  resentment  of  the  other  Arab 
families,  invited  the  heads  of  them  to  a  feast.  After 
they  had  regaled  themselves  a  little,  he  proposed  to 
them  to  take  off  their  swords,  as  they  were  all 
friends  together:  they  did  so,  a  signal  was  given,  and 
a  band  of  ruffians  murdered  them  all  immediately. 
The  Governor  rode  off,  with  a  body  of  troops,  to 
their  villages,  and  murdered  or  secured  their  wives 


REV,    HENRY     MARTYN.  347 

and  children.  This  was  about  two  years  and  a  half 
ago. 

"Abdalla  Aga,  a  Turk,  who  expects  to  be  Pacha 
of  Bagdad,  called  to  examine  us  in  Arabic;  he  is  a 
great  Arabic  scholar  himself,  and  came  to  see  how 
much  we  knew,  or  rather,  if  the  truth  were  known, 
to  shew  how  much  he  himself  knew.  There  was 
lately  a  conspiracy  at  Bagdad,  to  murder  the  Pacha. 
He  was  desired  to  add  his  name,  which  he  did  by 
compulsion,  but  secured  himself  from  putting  his  seal 
to  it,  pretending  he  had  lost  it:  this  saved  him.  All 
the  conspirators  were  discovered  and  put  to  death; 
he  escaped  with  his  life,  but  was  obliged  to  fly  to 
Bushire. 

"On  30th  May  our  Persian  dresses  were  ready, 
and  we  set  out  for  Shiraz.  The  Persian  dress  con- 
sists of  stockings  and  shoes  in  one,  next  a  pair  of 
large  blue  trowsers,  or  else  a  pair  of  huge  red  boots; 
then  the  shirt,  then  the  tunic,  and  above  it  the  coat, 
both  of  chintz,  and  a  great  coat.  I  have,  here  de- 
scribed my  own  dress,  most  of  which  I  have  on  this 
moment.  On  the  head  is  worn  an  enormous  cone, 
made  of  the  skin  of  the  black  Tartar  sheep,  with  the 
wool  on.  If  to  this  description  of  my  dress  I  add, 
that  my  beard  and  mustachios  have  been  suffered  to 
vegetate  undisturbed  ever  since  I  left  India — that  I 
am  sitting  on  a  Persian  carpet,  in  a  room  without 
tables  or  chairs — that  I  bury  my  hand  in  the  pilaw, 
without  waiting  for  spoon  or  plate,  you  will  give  me 
credit  for  being  already  an  accomplished  Oriental 


348  MEMOIR    OF 

"At  ten  o'clock  on  the  30th,  our  cafila  began  to 
move.  It  consisted  chiefly  of  mules,  with  a  few 
horses.  I  wished  to  have  a  mule,  but  the  muleteer 
favored  me  with  his  own  ponej;  this  animal  had  a 
bell  fastened  to  its  neck.  To  add  solemnity  to  the 
scene,  a  Bombay  trumpeter,  who  was  going  up  to 
join  the  Embassy,  was  directed  to  blow  a  blast  as  we 
moved  off  the  ground;  but  whether  it  was,  that  the 
trumpeter  was  not  adept  in  the  science,  or  that  his 
instrument  was  out  of  order,  the  crazy  sounds  that 
saluted  our  ears  had  a  ludicrous  effect.  At  last, 
after  some  justling,  mutual  recriminations,  and  recal- 
citrating of  the  steeds,  we  each  found  our  places, 
and  moved  out  of  the  gate  of  the  city  in  good  order. 
The  Resident  accompanied  us  a  little  way,  and  then 
left  us  to  pursue  our  journey  over  the  plain.  It  was 
in  a  fine  moonlight  night,  the  scene  new,  and  per- 
fectly oriental,  and  nothing  prevented  me  from  in- 
dulging my  own  reflections.  I  felt  a  little  melan- 
choly, but  commended  myself  anew  to  God,  and  felt 
assured  of  his  blessing,  protection,  and  presence. 
As  the  night  advanced,  the  cafila  grew  quiet;  on  a 
sudden  one  of  the  muleteers  began  to  sing,  and  sang 
in  a  voice  so  plaintive,  that  it  was  impossible  not  to 
have  one's  attention  arrested.  Every  voice  was 
hushed.  As  you  are  a  Persian  scholar,  I. write  down 
the  whole,  with  a  translation: — 

*  Think  not  that  e'er  my  heart  can  dwell 

Contealctl  far  from  thee: 
How  can  the  fresh-caught  nightingale  i,, 

Enjoy  tranquillity? 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  349 

O  then  forsake  thy  friend  for  nought 

That  slanderous  tongues  can  say; 
The  heart  that  fixeth  where  it  ought, 

^o  power  can  rend  away.* 

''Thus   far  my  journey  was   agreeable:  now   for 
miseries.     At   sunrise   we  came  to  our  ground  at 
Ahmedee,  six  parasangs,   and  pitched  our  little  tent 
under  a  tree:  it   was  the  only  shelter  we  could  get. 
At  first  the  heat  was   not  greater  than  we  had  felt 
in  India,  but  it  soon  became  so  great,  as  to  be  quite 
alarming. — When  the  thermometer  was  above  112*^, 
fever  heat,  I  began  to  lose  my  strength  fast;  at  last 
it  became  quite  intolerable.     I  wrapped  myself  up 
in  a  blanket  and  all  the  warm  covering  I  could  get^ 
to  defend  myself  from  the  external  air,  by  which 
means,  the  moisture  was  kept  a  little  longer  upon  the 
body,  and  not  so  speedily  evaporated  as  when  the 
skin  was  exposed:  one  of  my  companions  followed 
my  example,  and  found  the  benefit  of  it.     But  the 
thermometer  still  rising,  and  the  moisture  of  the 
body  quite  exhausted,  I  grev/  restless,  and  though! 
I  should  have  lost  my  senses.     The  thermometer 
at  last  stood  at  126^:  in  this  state  I  composed  my- 
self, and  concluded,  that  though  I  might  hold  out  a 
day  or  two,  death  was  inevitable.    Capt.  ''^  *  %  who 
sat  it  out,  continued  to  tell  the  hour,  and  height  of  the 
thermometer:  with  what  pleasure  did  we  hear  of 
its  sinking  to  120^,  118^,  &c.     At  last  the  fierce  sun 
retired,  and  I  crept  out,  more  dead   than  alive.     It 
was   then  a  difficulty  how   I  could  proceed  on  my 
journey;  for  besides  the  immediate  eifects  of  the 
45 


350  MEMOIR  OF 

heat,  I  had  no  opportunity  of  making  up  for  the  last 
night's  want  of  sleep,  and  had  eaten  nothing.  How- 
ever, while  they  were  lading  the  mules  I  got  an 
hour's  sleep,  and  sat  out,  the  muleteer  leading  my 
horse,  and  Zachary,  my  servant,  an  Armenian,  of 
Isfahan,  doing  all  in  his  power  to  encourage  me. 
The  cool  air  of  the  night  restored  me  wonderfully, 
so  that  I  arrived  at  our  next  munzel  w^ith  no  other 
derangement  than  that  occasioned  by  want  of  sleep. 
Expecting  another  such  day  as  the  former,  we  began 
to  make  preparations  the  instant  we  arrived  at  the 
ground.  I  got  a  tattie,  made  of  the  branches  of  the 
date  tree,  and  a  Persian  peasant  to  water  it;  by  this 
means  the  thermometer  did  not  rise  higher  than 
114^.  But  what  completely  secured  me  from  the 
heat,  was  a  large  wet  towel,  which  I  wrapped  round 
my  head  and  body,  muffling  up  the  lower  part  in 
clothes.  How  could  I  but  be  grateful  to  a  gracious 
Providence,  for  giving  me  so  simple  a  defence  against 
what,  I  am  persuaded,  would  have  destroyed  my 
life  that  day.  We  took  care  not  to  go  without 
nourishment,  as  we  had  done;  the  neighboring  vil- 
lage supplied  us  with  curds  and  milk.  At  sun-set, 
rising  up  to  go  out,  a  scorpion  fell  upon  my  clothes; 
not  seeing  where  it  fell,  I  did  not  know  what  it  was; 
but  Capt.  *  *  *  pointing  it  out,  gave  the  alarm,  and 
I  struck  it  oif,  and  he  killed  it. — The  night  before, 
we  found  a  black  scorpion  in  our  tent;  this  made  us 
rather  uneasy,  so  that  though  the  cafila  did  not  start 
till  midnight,  we  got  no  sleep,  fearing  we  might  be 
visited  by  another  scorpion. 


REV.  HENRY  MARTY N.  351 

"The  next  morning  we  arrived  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountains,  at  a  place  where  we  seemed  to  have 
discovered  one  of  nature's  ulcers.  A  strong  suffo- 
cating smell  of  naphtha  announced  something  more 
than  ordinarily  foul  in  the  neighborhood.  We  saw 
a  river:  what  flowed  in  it,  it  seemed  difficult  to  say, 
whether  it  were  water  or  green  oil;  it  scarcely 
moved,  and  the  stones  which  it  laved,  it  left  of  a 
greyish  color,  as  if  its  foul  touch  had  given  them 
the  leprosy.  Our  place  of  encampment  this  day 
was  a  grove  of  date  trees,  where  the  atmosphere, 
at  sun-rise,  was  ten  times  hotter  than  the  ambient 
air.  I  threw  myself  down  on  the  burning  ground 
and  slept:  w^hen  the  tent  came  up,  I  awoke,  as  usual, 
in  a  burning  fever.  All  this  day  I  had  recourse  to 
the  wet  towel,  which  kept  me  alive,  but  would  allow 
of  no  sleep.  It  was  a  sorrowful  Sabbath;  but  Capt 
*##  read  a  few  hymns,  in  which  I  found  great  con- 
solation. At  nine  in  the  evening  we  decamped. 
The  ground  and  air  were  so  insufferably  hot,  that  I 
could  not  travel  without  a  wet  towel  round  my  face 
and  neck.  This  night,  for  the  first  time,  we  began 
to  ascend  the  mountains.  The  road  often  passed 
so  close  to  the  edge  of  the  tremendous  precipice, 
that  one  false  step  of  the  horse  would  have  plunged 
his  rider  into  inevitable  destruction.  In  such  cir- 
cumstances, I  found  it  useless  to  attempt  guiding  the 
animal,  and  therefore  gave  him  the  rein.  These 
poor  animals  are  so  used  to  journies  of  this  sort, 
that  they  generally  stept  sure.     There  was  nothing 


3i>2  l^lOIOIK    OF 

to  mark  the  road,  but  the  rocks  being  a  httle  more 
Avorn  in  one  place  than  in  another.  Sometimes,  ray 
horse,  which  led  the  way,  as  being  the  muleteer's, 
stopped,  as  if  to  consider  about  the  Avay:  for  my- 
seh,  I  could  not  guess,  at  such  times,  where  the 
road  lay,  but  he  always  found  it.  The  sublime 
scenery  would  have  impressed  me  much,  in  other 
circumstances;  but  my  sleepiness  and  fatigue  ren- 
dered me  insensible  to  every  thing  around  me.  At 
last  we  emerged,  super  as  ad  auras,^  not  to  the  top  of 
a  mountain  to  go  down  again,  but  to  a  plain  or  upper 
Avorid.  At  the  pass,  where  a  cleft  in  the  mountain 
admitted  us  into  the  plain,  was  a  station  of  Rahdars. 
While  they  were  examining  the  muleteer's  pass- 
ports, (fee.  time  was  given  for  the  rest  of  the  cafila 
to  come  up,  and  I  got  a  little  sleep  for  a  few  min- 
utes. Wc  rode  briskly  over  the  plain,  breathing  a 
purer  air,  and  soon  came  in  sight  of  a  fair  edifice, 
built  by  the  king  of  the  country,  for  the  refresh- 
ment of  pilgrims.  In  this  caravansara  we  took  up 
our  abode  for  the  day.  It  was  more  calculated  for 
Eastern  than  European  travellers,  having  no  means 
of  keeping  out  the  air  and  light.  We  found  the 
thermometer  at  110^.  At  the  passes  we  met  a 
man  travelling  down  to  Bushire  with  a  load  of  ice, 
which  he  willingly  disposed  of  to  us.  The  next 
night  we  ascended  another  range  of  mountains,  and 
passed  over  a  plain,  where  the  cold  was  so  piercing, 
that,  with  all  the  clothes  we  could 'muster,  we  were 

•  To  the  upper  regions. 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYj^f.  353 

shivering.  At  the  end  of  this  plain,  we  entered  a 
dark  valley,  contained  by  two  ranges  of  hills  con- 
verging to  one  another.  The  muleteer  gave  no- 
tice he  saw  robbers.  It  proved  to  be  a  false 
alarm:  but  the  place  Avas  fitted  to  be  a  retreat  for 
robbers;  there  were  on  each  side  caves,  and  fast- 
nesses, from  which  they  might  have  killed,  at  leisure, 
every  man  of  us.  After  ascending  another  moun- 
tain, we  descended  by  a  very  long  and  circuitous 
route,  into  an  extensive  valley,  where  we  were  ex- 
posed to  the  sun  till  eight  o'clock.  Whether  from 
the  sun,  or  continued  want  of  sleep,  I  could  not,  on 
my  arrival  at  Carzeroon,  compose  myself  to  sleep; 
there  seemed  to  be  a  fire  within  my  head,  my  skin 
like  a  cinder,  and  the  pulse  violent.  Through  the 
day  it  was  again  too  hot  to  sleep,  though  the  place 
we  occupied  was  a  sort  of  summer  house,  in  a  gar- 
den of  cypress  trees,  exceedingly  well  fitted  up  with 
mats  and  colored  glass.  Had  the  cafila  gone  on  that 
night.  I  could  not  have  accompanied  it;  but  it  halted 
here  a  day,  by  which  means  I  got  a  sort  of  night's 
rest,  though  1  awoke  twenty  times  to  dip  my  burn- 
ing hands  in  water.  Though  Carzeroon  is  the  sec- 
ond greatest  town  in  Fars,  we  could  get  nothing 
but  bread,  milk,  and  eggs,  and  that  with  difficulty. 
The  governor,  who  is  under  great  obligations  to  the 
English,  heard  of  our  arrival,  but  sent  us  no  message. 
"June  5. — At  ten  we  left  Carzeroon,  and  ascend- 
ed a  mountain;  we  then  descended  it,  on  the  other 
side,  into  a  beautiful  valley,  where  the  opening  dawn 


354  MEMOIR    OF 

discovered  to  us  ripe  fields  of  wheat  and  barley, 
with  the  green  oak,  here  and  there,  in  the  midst  of 
it.  We  were  reminded  of  an  autumnal  morning  in 
England.     Thermometer,  62**. 

"6. — Half  way  up  the  Peergan  mountain  we  found 
a  caravansara.  There  being  no  village  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, Ave  had  brought  supplies  from  Carzeroon. 
My  servant  Zachary  got  a  fall  from  his  mule  this 
morning,  which  much  bruised  him;  he  looked  very 
sorrowful,  and  had  lost  much  of  his  garrulity.  Zach- 
ary became  remarkable,  throughout  the  cafila,  for 
making  speeches;  he  had  something  to  say,  to  all 
people,  on  all  occasions. 

"7. — Left  the  caravansara  at  one  this  morning; 
continued  to  ascend.  The  hours  we  were  permit- 
ted to  rest,  the  musquitoes  had  effectually  prevent- 
ed me  from  using,  so  I  never  felt  more  miserable 
and  disordered;  the  cold  was  very  severe;  for  fear 
of  falling  off,  from  sleep  and  numbness,  I  walked  a 
good  part  of  the  way.  We  pitched  our  tent  in  the 
Vale  of  Dustarjan,  near  a  crystal  stream,  on  the 
banks  of  which  we  observed  the  clover  and  golden 
cup:  the  whole  valley  was  one  green  field,  on  which 
large  herds  of  cattle  were  browsing.  The  temper- 
ature was  about  that  of  the  spring  in  England. 
There  a  few  hours  sleep  recovered  me,  in  some  de- 
gree, from  the  stupidity  in  which  I  had  been  for 
some  days.  I  awoke  with  a  light  heart,  and  said, 
'He  knoweth  our  frame,  and  remembereth  we  are 
dust.     He  redecmeth  our  life  from  destruction,  and 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  355 

crowneth  us  with  loving  kindness  and  tender  mer- 
cies. He  maketh  us  to  He  down  in  the  green  pas- 
tures, and  leadeth  us  beside  the  still  Avaters.  And 
when  we  have  left  this  vale  of  tears,  there  is  no 
more  sorrow,  nor  sighing,  nor  any  more  pain.  The 
sun  shall  not  light  upon  thee,  nor  any  heat:  but  the 
lamb  shall  lead  thee  to  living  fountains  of  waters.' 

'*8. — Went  on  to  a  caravansara,  three  parasangs, 
where  we  passed  the  day.  At  night  set  out  upon 
our  last  march  for  Shiraz.  Sleepiness,  my  old  com- 
panion and  enemy,  again  overtook  me.  I  was  in 
perpetual  danger  of  falling  off  my  horse,  till  at  last 
I  pushed  my  horse  on  to  a  considerable  distance  be- 
yond the  cafila,  planted  my  back  against  a  wall,  and 
slept  I  know  not  how  long;  till  the  good  muleteer 
came  up  and  gently  waked  me. 

"In  the  morning  of  the  9th  we  found  ourselves 
in  the  plain  of  Shiraz.  We  put  up  at  first  in  a 
garden,  but  are  now  at  Jaffier  Ali  Khan's." 

Arrived  at  the  celebrated  seat  of  Persian  litera- 
ture, Mr.  Martyn,  having  ascertained  the  general 
correctness  of  the  opinion  delivered  at  Calcutta,  re- 
specting the  translation  of  the  New  Testament,  by 
Sabat,  commenced  immediately  another  version  in 
the  Persian  language.  An  able  and  willing  assist- 
ant, in  this  arduous  and  important  work,  presented 
himself  in  the  person  of  Mirza  Seid  Ali  Khan,  the 
brother-in-law  of  his  host,  Jaffier  Ali  Khan.  His 
coadjutor,  he  soon  discovered,  was  one  of  a  numer- 


356  MEMOIR     OF 

ous  and  increasing  religious  community,  whose  ten- 
ets, (if  that  term  be  not  inappHcable  to  any  thing  of 
so  fluctuating  and  indefinite  a  nature  as  their  senti- 
ments,) appear  to  consist  of  refined  mysticism  of  the 
most  Latitudinarian  complexion;  a  quahty,  be  it  re- 
membered, entirely  opposite  to  the  exclusive  char- 
acter and  inflexible  spirit  of  Christianity,  and  which 
pervading,  as  it  does  so  completely,  the  system  of 
Soofeism,  sufficiently  accounts  for  its  toleration  under 
a  Mahometan  despotism,  of  a  purer  and  more  abso- 
lute kind  than  exists  even  in  the  Turkish  dominions. 

In  Jaffier  Ali  Khan,  a  Mahometan  of  rank  and  con- 
sequence, to  whom  Mr.  Martyn  had  letters  of  rec- 
ommendation, he  found  a  singular  urbanity  of  man- 
ners, united  to  a  temper  of  a  more  solid  and  substan- 
tial excellence — a  kindness  of  disposition,  ever  fertile 
in  expedients  conducive  to  the  comfort  and  conveni- 
ence of  his  guest.  There  was  in  him  also,  as  well 
as  in  his  brother-in-law,  what  was  still  more  gratify- 
ing, an  entire  absence  of  bigotry  and  prejudice;  and 
on  all  occasions  he  was  ready  to  invite,  rather  than 
decline,  the  freest  interchange  of  opinion  on  relig- 
ious topics. 

The  work,  for  which  Mr.  Martyn  had  come  to 
Shiraz,  was  commenced  on  the  17th  of  June,  little 
more  than  a  week  after  his  reaching  that  city.  It 
was  preceded  by  a  very  pleasing  interview  with  two 
priests  of  the  Mahometan  faith,  of  which  we  have 
this  account. — "In  the  evening,  Seid  Ali  came,  with 
two  Moollahs,  disciples  of  his  uncle  Mirza  Ibraheem, 


REV.    HENRY     MARTYN.  357 

and  with  them  I  had  a  very  long  and  temperate  dis- 
cussion. One  of  them  read  the  beginning  of  St. 
John,  in  the  Arabic,  and  inquired  very  particularly 
into  our  opinions  respecting  the  person  of  Christ;  and 
when  he  was  informed  that  we  did  not  consider  his 
human  nature  eternal,  nor  his  mother  divine,  seemed 
quite  satisfied,  and  remarked  to  the  others,  'how 
much  misapprehension  is  removed  when  people 
come  to  an  explanation.' 

As  Mr.  Martyn  was  himself  an  object  of  atten- 
tion and  curiosity  in  Shiraz,  and  the  Testament  was 
whally  new  to  his  coadjutor,  he  was  not  suffered  to 
proceed  in  his  w^ork  without  many  interruptions. 

"Seid  Ali,"  he  Avrites,  June  17,  "began  translating 
the  Gospel  of  John  with  me.  We  were  interrupted 
by  the  entrance  of  two  yevj  majestic  personages, 
one  of  whom  was  the  great-grandson  of  Nadir  Shah. 
The  uncle  of  the  present  King  used  to  wait  behind 
his  father's  table.  He  is  now  a  prisoner  here,  sub- 
sisting on  a  pension. 

"18. — At  the  request  of  our  host,  who  is  always 
planning  something  for  our  amusement,  we  passed 
the  day  at  a  house  built  half  way  up  otie  of  the  hills 
that  surround  the  town.  A  little  rivulet,  issuing 
from  the  rock,  fertilizes  a  few  yards  of  ground,  which 
bear,  in  consequence,  a  cypress  or  two,  sweet  briar, 
jessamine,  and  pinks.  Here,  instead  of  a  quiet  re- 
treat, we  found  a  number  of  noisy,  idle  fellows,  who 
were  gambling  all  day,  and  as  loquacious  as  the  men 
who  occupy  an  alehouse  bench.  The  Persians  hav<^ 
4r7 


358  MEMOIR    OF 

certainly  a  most  passionate  regard  for  water:  I  sup- 
pose, because  they  have  so  little  of  it.  There  was 
nothing  at  all  in  this  place  worth  climbing  so  high 
for,  but  the  little  rivulet. 

"22. — The  Prince's  Secretary,  who  is  considered 
as  the  best  prose  writer  in  Shiraz,  called  upon 
us.  One  of  his  friends  wanted  to  talk  about  Soofe- 
ism.  They  believe,  they  know  not  what.  It  is 
mere  vanity  that  makes  them  profess  this  mysticism. 
He  thought  to  excite  my  wonder  by  telling  me,  that 
r,  and  every  created  thing,  was  God.  I  asked,  how 
this  was  consistent  with  his  religion?  He  then  men- 
tioned the  words  from  the  Koran,  'God  can  be  with 
another  thing  only  by  pervading  it.'  Either  from 
curiosity,  or  to  amuse  themselves  at  an  Indian's  ex- 
pense, they  called  in  an  Indian  Moonshee,  who  had 
come  with  us  from  Bengal,  and  requested  him  to  re- 
cite some  of  his  poetry.  Thus  I  had  an  opportunity 
of  witnessing  this  exhibition  of  Eastern  folly.  After 
a  few  modest  apologies,  the  Indian  grew  bold,  and 
struck  off  a  few  stanzas.  The  Persians  affected  to 
admire  them,  though  it  was  easy  to  see  that  they 
were  laughing  at  his  pronunciation  and  foreign  idiom. 
However,  they  condescended  to  recite,  in  their  turn, 
a  line  or  two  of  their  own  composition:  and  before 
they  went  away,  wrote  down  a  stanza  or  two  of  the 
Indian's,  to  signify  that  they  were  worth  preserving. 

"26. — Two  young  men  from  the  college,  full  of 
zeal  and  logic,  came  this  morning,  to  try  me  with 
hard  questions,  such  as,  whether  Being  be  one  or 


REV.     HENRY    MARTYN.         *  350 

two?  what  is  the  state  and  form  of  disembodied 
spirits?  and  other  foohsh  and  unlearned  questions 
ministering  strife,  on  all  which  I  declined  wasting 
my  breath.  At  last,  one  of  them,  who  was  about 
twenty  years  of  age,  discovered  the  true  cause  of 
his  coming,  and  asked  me  bluntly,  to  bring  a  proof 
for  the  religion  of  Christ.  'You  allow  the  divine 
mission  of  Christ,'  said  I,  'why  need  I  prove  it?' 
Not  being  able  to  draw  me  into  an  argument,  they 
said  what  they  wished  to  say,  namely,  'that  I  had 
no  other  proof  for  the  miracles  of  Christ,  than  they 
had  for  those  of  Mahomet;  which  is  tradition.' 
'Softly,'  said  I.  'You  will  be  pleased  to  observe  a 
difference  between  your  books  and  ours.  When, 
by  tradition,  we  have  reached  our  several  books, 
our  narrators  were  eye-witnesses;  yours  are  not,  nor 
nearly  so."  In  consequence  of  the  interruption 
these  lads  gave  me,  for  they  talked  away  a  long 
time  with  great  intemperance,  I  did  little  to-day. 

"In  the  evening,  Seid  Ali  asked  me,  'the  cause  of 
evili^'  I  said,  'I  knew  nothing  about  it.'  He  thought 
he  could  tell  me;  so  I  let  him  reason  on,  till  he  soon 
found  he  knew  as  little  about  the  matter  as  myself. 
He  wanted  to  prove  that  there  was  no  real  differ- 
ence between  good  and  evil— it  was  only  apparent. 
I  observed,  'that  this  difference,  though  apparent, 
was  the  cause  of  a  great  deal  of  real  misery.' 

'While  correcting  the  fifth  of  John,  he  was  not  a 
little  surprised  at  finding  such  an  account  as  that 
of  an  angel  coming  down  and  troubling  the  water?. 


360  Memoir  of 

When  he  found  that  I  had  no  way  of  explaining  it, 
but  was  obhged  to  understand  it  Hterallj,  he  laugh- 
ed, as  if  saying,  'there  are  other  fools  in  the  world 
besides  Mahometans.'  I  tried  to  lessen  his  con- 
tempt and  incredulity  by  saying,  'that  the  first  in- 
quiry was.  Is  the  book  from  God?'  'O,  to  be  sure,' 
said  he;  'it  is  written  in  the  Bible;  we  must  believe 
it.'  I  asked  him,  'whether  there  was  any  thing 
contrary  to  reason  in  the  narrative?  whether  it  was 
not  even  possible  that  the  salubrious  powers  of 
other  springs  were  owing  to  the  descent  of  an 
angel?'  Lastly  I  observed,  'that  all  natural  agents 
might  be  called  the  angels  of  God.'  'This,'  said 
he,  'was  consonant  to  their  opinions,  and  that  when 
they  spoke  of  the  angel  of  the  wands,  the  angel  of 
death,  &:c.  nothing  more  w^as  meant  than  the  cause 
of  the  winds.' 

"27. — Before  I  had  taken  my  breakfast,  the 
younger  of  the  youths  came,  and  forced  me  into  a 
conversation.  As  soon  as  he  heard  the  w^ord,  'Fa- 
ther,' in  the  translation^  used  for  'God,'  he  laughed, 
and  went  away.  Soon  after,  two  men  came  and 
spoke  violently  for  hours.  Seid  Ali,  and  a  respect- 
able Mouluwee,  whom  he  brought  to  introduce  to 
me,  took  up  the  cudgels  against  them,  and  said, 
'that  the  omis  prohandi*  rested  with  them,  not  with 
me.'  Zachary  told  me,  this  morning,  that  I  was 
the  town  talk;  that  it  was  asserted,  I  was  come  to 

*  The  burden  of  proof. 


EEV.     HENRY    MARTYN.  361 

Shiraz  to  be  a  Mussulman,  and  should  then  bring 
five  thousand  men  to  Shiraz,  under  pretence  of 
making  them  Mussulmen,  but  in  reality  to  take  the 
city. 

''28. — The  poor  boy,  while  writing  how  one  of 
the  servants  of  the  High  Priest  struck  the  Lord  on 
the  face,  stopped,  and  said,  'Sir,  did  not  his  hand 
dry  up?' 

"30.  (Sunday.) — Preached  to  the  Ambassador's 
suite  on  the  faithful  saying;  in  the  evening  baptized 
his  child. 

"July  1. — A  party  of  Armenians  came,  and  said, 
among  other  things,  that  the  Mahometans  would  be 
glad  to  be  under  our  English  government.  For- 
merly they  despised  and  hated  the  Feringees,  but 
now  they  begin  to  say,  'What  harm  do  they  do;  they 
take  no  man's  wife,  no  man's  property.' 

"Abdoolghunee,  the  Jew  Mahometan,  came  to 
prove  that  he  had  found  Mohammed  in  the  Penta- 
teuch. Among  other  strange  things,  he  said,  that 
the  Edomites  meant  the  Europeans,  and  Mount 
Sion  was  in  Europe.  Afterwards  Seid  Ah  asked 
me  to  tell  him  in  confidence,  why  I  believed  no 
prophet  could  come  after  Christ.  I  chose  to  begin 
Avith  the  Atonen:ient,  and  wished  to  shew,  that  it 
was  of  such  a  nature,  that  salvation  by  another  was 
impossible.  'You  talk,'  said  he,  'of  the  Atonement, 
but  I  do  not  see  it  any  where  in  the  Gospel.'  Af- 
ter citing  two  passages  from  the  Gospels,  I  read  the 
third  chapter  of  Romans,  and  the   fifty-third  of 


362  MfiMOIR   OF 

Isaiah.  With  the  latter  he  was  much  struck.  He 
asked  many  more  questions,  the  scope  of  which  was, 
that  though  Islam  might  not  be  true,  he  might  still 
remain  in  it,  and  be  saved  by  the  Gospel.  I  said, 
'You  deny  the  Divinity  of  Christ.' — 'I  see  no  diffi- 
culty in  that,'  said  he.  'You  do  not  observe  the 
institutions  of  Christ — Baptism  and  the  Lord's 
Suppen'- — 'These,'  said  he,  'are  mere  emblems,  and 
if  a  man  have  the  reality,  what  need  of  emblems.' 
'Christ,'  said  I,  'foresaw  that  the  reality  would  not 
be  so  constantly  perceived  without  them,  and  there- 
fore he  enjoined  them.'  He  said,  'that  in  his  child- 
hood he  used  to  cry,  while  hearing  about  the  suffer- 
erings  of  Christ,'  and  he  wept  while  mentioning  it. 
The  3rd  of  July,  was  distinguished  by  a  conver- 
sation kept  up  between  Mr.  Martyn  and  two  Mool- 
lahs  principally,  one  of  whom  displayed  a  very  dif- 
ferent spirit  from  that  which  had  actuated  those 
ministers  of  the  Mahometan  religion,  who  first  visit- 
ed him.  "The  Jewish  Moollah  Abdoolghunee,  with 
Moollah  Abulhasan,"  he  Avrites,  "came  prepared  for 
a  stiff  disputation,  and  accordingly  the  altercation 
was  most  violent.  Jaffier  Ali  Khan  and  Mirza-Seid 
Ali  were  present,  with  many  others.  The  Jew 
began  with  asking,  whether  we  believed  that  Jesus 
suffered?  I  referred  him  to  the  9th  of  Daniel, 
'Messiah  shall  be  cut  off,  but  not  for  himself.'  I 
begged  him  to  shew  who  was  the  Messiah  of  whom 
Daniel  spoke,  if  it  was  not  Jesus. 


REV.  HENRY   MARTYN.  36S^ 

"At  Abulhasan's  request,  he  began  to  give  his  rea- 
sons for  believing  that  Mahomet  was  foretold  in  the 
Old  Testament.  The  Jew  wanted  to  shew,  that 
when  it  is  said,  'Moses  went  out,  and  the  twelve 
PRINCES  with  him,'  Moses  had  twelve  religious  Kha- 
leefs,  just  like  Mahomet.  I  explained  to  the  Mus- 
sulman, that  they  were  not  for  religious  affairs,  but 
worldly,  deciding  causes,  &lc.  and  that  religious  ser- 
vices were  confined  to  one  tribe. 

"He  proceeded  to  Deut.  xviii,  18, 'The  Lord  will 
raise  from  among  their  brethren,'  &:c.  'Brethren,' 
he  said,  'must  mean  some  other  than  Jews.  That 
Moses  and  Jesus  were  not  alike.  Moses  gave  a  law 
before  he  went:  Jesus  did  not;  his  disciples  made 
one  for  him;  whereas  Mahomet  left  a  book  himself. 
That  Moses  was  a  warrior;  that  Christ  was  not; 
but  that  Mahomet  was.'  I  replied,  'that  the  words 
of  God,  'from  among  their  brethren,''  Moses  explain- 
ed by  those,  'from  among  thee;''  and  that  this  ex- 
cludes the  possibility  of  Mahomet  being  meant.' 
After  they  were  gone,  I  found  Lev.  xxv,  46,  which 
supplies  a  complete  answer.  In  reply  to  the  objec- 
tion, that  Moses  and  Christ  were  not  alike,  I  said, 
'that  in  respect  of  the  projjhetic  office,  there  was 
such  a  likeness,  as  did  not  exist  between  any  other 
two  prophets — that  each  brought  a  new  law,  and 
each  Avas  a  Mediator.'' 

'^The  Jew  next  read  the  sixty-first  of  Isaiah,  and 
commented.  I  then  read  the  same  chapter,  and 
observed,  that  Cl^rist  had  cited  one  of  the  passages 


364  MEr.ioiR  OF 

for  himself,  'The  spirit  of  the  Lord  God  is  upon 
me,'  &;c.  This  they  attended  to,  because  Christ  had 
said  so;  but  as  for  Peter's  appropriating  the  pas- 
sage in  Deuteronomy  to  Christ,  (Acts  iii,)  they  made 
no  account  of  it.  So  ignorant  are  they  of  the  na- 
ture of  a  Revelation. 

"When  we  were  separating,  the  Moollah  Abul- 
hasan  gravely  asked  me,  'whether,  if  I  saw  proof 
of  Mahomet's  miracles,  I  would  believe,  and 
act  as  one  who  sought  the  truth?'  I  told  him,  'I 
wished  for  nothing  but  the  truth.'  He  then  said, 
'we  must  have  an  umpire.'  'But  where,'  said  I, 
'shall  we  and  an  impartial  one?'  'He  must  be  a  Jew,' 
said  one.  'Well  then,'  added  another,  'lei  Abdool-* 
ghunee  be  the  man.'  The  apostate  Jew  swore,  by 
the  four  sacred  books,  that  he  would  give  'just  judg- 
ment.' I  could  not  conceal  my  indignation  at  such  a: 
ridiculous  proposal,  and  said  to  the  Jew,  'You  impar-' 
tial!  As  a  Mahometan,  you  ought  to  speak  well  of 
Christ:  but  it  is  easy  to  see,  that,  like  your  brethren, 
you  hate  Jesus  as  bitterly  as  ever.'  He  was  quite 
alarmed  at  this  charge  before  the  Mahometans, 
by  whom  he  has  long  been  considered  as  no  true 
Mahometan;  and,  in  the  most  gentle  manner  possi- 
ble, he  assured  me,  'none  could  have  a  greater 
respect  for  Jesus  than  he  had;  and  that,  possibly^  in 
the  text  in  Deuteronomy,  Jesus  might  be  meant,  as 
well  as  Mahomet.' 

"At  the  end  of  this  vehement  controversy,  when 
they  were  most  of  them  gone,  I  said  to  Seid  Ali. 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  36 f} 

'that  I  thought,  whatever  others  did,  he  would  not 
have  denied  me  common  justice.'  He  took  me 
aside,  and  said  to  me  very  earnestly,  'You  did  not 
understand  me.  Abulhasan  is  my  enemy:  nothing 
does  he  want  so  much  as  to  bring  me  into  danger;  / 
Quust,  therefore,  shew  some  little  regard  for  the  relig- 
ion,^ He  told  me  that  i\ilrza  Ibraheem,  the  precep- 
tor of  all  the  Moollahs,  was  now  writing  a  book  in 
defence  of  Mahometanism,  and  that  it  was  to  this 
that  Abulhasan  alluded,  as  that  vv^hich  was  to  silence 
me  for  ever. 

"4. — Seid  AH  having  informed  the  Jew  that  I  had 
found  an  answer  to  his  argument  from  Genesis  xvii, 
he  came  to  know  what  it  was,  and  staid  the  whole 
morning,  asking  an  infinity  of  questions.  He  shewed 
himself  extremely  well  read  in  the  Plebrew  Bible 
and  Koran,  quoting  both  with  the  utmost  readiness. 
He  argued  a  little  for  the  Koran,  but  very  coldly. 
He  concluded  by  saying,  'he  must  come  to  me  every 
day;  and  either  make  me  a  Mussulman,  or  become 
himself  a  Christian.'  " 

The  progress  of  the  translation  gave  rise  to  the 
followmg  aifecting  discoui'se  between  Seid  Ali  and 
Mr.  Martyn.  "Seid  Ali,  while  perusing  the  twelfth 
of  John,  observed,  'How  he  loved  these  twelve  per- 
.^ons!'  'Yes,'  said  I;  'and  all  those  who  believe  in 
him,  through  their  word.'  After  our  work  was 
done,  he  began  to  say,  'From  my  childhood  I  have 
been  in  search  of  a  religion,  and  am  still  undecided. 
Till  now,  I  never  had  an  opportunity  of  conversing 
47 


36t>  MEMOIR    OP 

witli  those  of  another  religion:  the  English  I  have 
met  in  Persia  have  generally  been  soldiers,  or  men 
occupied  witli  the  world.'  To  some  remarks  I 
made  about  the  necessity  of  having  the  mind  made 
up  upon  such  a  subject,  considering  the  shortness  of 
our  stay  here,  he  seemed  cordially  to  assent,  and 
shed  tears.  I  recommended  prayer,  and  the  consid- 
eration of  that  text,  'If  any  man  will  do  his  will,  he 
shall  know  of  the  doctrine,'  and  spoke  as  having 
found  it  verified  in  my  own  experience,  that  when  I 
could  once  say  before  God,  'What  wilt  thou  have 
me  to  do?'  I  found  peace. — I  then  went  through  all 
the  different  states  of  my  mind,  at  the  time  I  was 
called  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Gospel.  He  listen- 
ed with  great  interest  and  said, 'You  must  not  regret 
the  loss  of  so  much  time  as  you  give  me,  because  it 
does  me  ofood.'  " 

The  situation  of  those,  whose  forefathers  crucified 
the  Lord  of  Glory,  is  ever  pitiable  to  a  Christian 
mind:  but  how  much  more  are  the  Jews  entitled  to 
compassion,  when  groaning  under  the  iron  rod  of  op- 
pression on  the  one  hand,  and  tempted  on  the  other, 
to  exchange  their  own  religion  for  a  base  imposture 
upon  the  basest  considerations.  Who  can  read  the 
following  account  of  their  condition  at  Shiraz,  with- 
out sighing  over  the  depth  of  their  temporal  and 
spiritual  degradation! 

"5. — The  Jew  came  again,  with  another  Jew,, 
both  Mussulmen.  The  Prince  gives  every  Jew,  on 
conversion,  an  honorary  dress;  so  they  are  turning 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  3G7 

Mahometans  every  day.  A  young  man,  son  of  the. 
old  Jew,  asked,  'how  it  could  be  supposed  that  God 
would  leave  so  many  nations  so  long  in  darkness,  if 
Islam  be  an  error?'  The  father  sat,  with  great 
complacency,  to  see  how  I  could  get  over  this.  I 
asked,  'why  God,  for  four  thousand  years,  made  him- 
self known  to  their  nation  only,  and  left  all  the  rest 
in  darkness?' — They  were  silent. 

"The  old  man,  forgetting  he  was  a  Mussulman, 
asked  again,  'if  Jesus  was  the  Messiah,  why  did  not 
the  fiery  wrath  of  God  break  out  against  them,  as  it 
did  formerly  for  every  small  offence?'  'But  first,' 
said  he,  'what  do  you  think  of  God's  severity  to  the 
Jews  at  other  times?'  I  said,  'If  my  son  do  any 
thing  wrong,  I  punish  him:  but  with  the  thieves  and 
murderers  out  of  doors,  I  have  nothing  to  do.'  This 
affected  the  old  man;  and  his  son  recollected  many 
passages  in  the  Bible  appropriate  to  this  sentimentc 
and  said,  'Yes,  they  were  indeed  a  chosen  genera- 
tion.' I  proceeded — 'But  did  not  the  wrath  of  God 
break  out  against  you  at  the  death  of  Christ,  in  a 
more  dreadful  manner  than  ever  it  did?'  They  men- 
tioned the  Captivity.  But  what,  (said  I,)  was  the 
Captivity?  it  lasted  but  seventy  years.  But  now 
sevent-een  hundred  years  have  passed  away;  and 
have  you  a  king,  or  a  temple?  Are  you  not  mean  and 
despised  every  where.^'  They  seemed  to  feel  this, 
and  nodded  assent. 

"During  this  conversation,  I  said,  'God  has  raised 
up  a  great  Prophet  from  the  midst  of  you,  and  now 


Sij6  MEMOIR     OF 

you  are  gone  after  a  stranger  of  a  nation  who  were 
always  your  enemies.  You  acknowledge  Jesus,  in- 
deed; but  it  is  only  for  fear  of  the  sword  of  the 
Ismaelite.  They  wondered  why  Christians  should 
love  them  more  than  they  do  the  Mahometans,  as  I 
told  them  we  did,  and  pretended  to  argue  against  it, 
as  unreasonable,  evidently  from  a  wish  to  hear  me 
repeat  a  truth  which  Avas  so  agreeable  to  them. 

On  the  morning  of  the  6th,  Mr.  Martyn,  ever 
anxious  to  pay  all  due  reverence  to  "the  powers 
that  be,"  ])resented  himself,  with  the  Ambassador 
and   suite,    before   Prince  Abbas    Mu'za: — he    thus 

describes  the   ceremony. "Early  this  morning  I 

went  with  the  Ambassador  and  suite,  to  Court,  wear- 
ing, agreeable  to  costume,  a  pair  of  red  cloth  stock- 
ings, with  green  high-heeled  shoes.  When  we  en- 
tered the  great  court  of  the  palace,  a  hundred  foun- 
tains began  to  play.  The  Prince  appeared  at  the 
opposite  side,  in  his  talar,  or  hall  of  audience,  seat- 
ed on  the  ground.  Here  our  first  bow  was  made. 
When  we  came  in  sight  of  him,  we  bowed  a  second 
time,  and  entered  the  room.  He  did  not  rise,  nor 
take  notice  of  any  but  the  Ambassador,  with  whom 
he  conversed  at  the  distance  of  the  breadth  of  the 
room.  Two  of  his  Ministers  stood  in  front  ©f  the 
hall,  outside;  the  Ambassador's  MIchmandar,  and 
the  Master  of  the  Ceremonies,  within,  at  the  door. 
We  sat  down  in  order,  in  a  line  with  the  Ambassa- 
dor, with  our  hats  on. .  I  never  saw  a  more  sweet 
and  engaging  countenance  than  the  Prince's;  there 


REV.    HENRY    ^^lARTYN.  369 

was  such  an  appearance  of  good  nature  aiid  humili- 
ty in  all  his  demeanor,  that  I  could  scarcely  bring 
myself  to  believe  that  he  would  be  guilty  of  any 
thing  cruel  or  tyrannical." 

The  Jewish  MooUah,  who  a  few  days  before,  had 
attempted  to  support  a  heresy  which  he  himself 
did  not  believe,  revisited  Mr.  Martyn,  accompanied 
by  one  of  his  brethren,  who  had  apostatized — these 
were  followed  on  the  same  day,  by  two  other  visi- 
tors, one  of  whom  was  a  man  of  great  consequence 
and  of  equal  courtesy. — "The  Jew  came  again,  (he 
says,  June  1 1,)  w^ith  one  of  his  apostate  brethren 
from  Bagdad.  As  he  was  boasting  to  Seid  Ali,  that 
he  had  gained  one  hundred  Jews  to  Islam,  I  could 
not  help  saying,  'I  will  tell  you  how  Jews  are  made 
Mahometans.  First,  the  Prince  gives  them  a  dress; 
secondly' — here  the  old  man  colored,  and  interrupt- 
ing me,  began  to  urge,  that  it  was  not  with  the  hope 
of  any  worldly  advantage. 

"His  object  to-day  was,  to  prove  that  the  pas- 
sages in  the  Old  Testament,  which  we  applied  to 
Jesus,  did  not  belong  to  him.  I  referred  him  to  the 
16th  Psalm.  He  said,  'that  none  of  the  prophets 
saw  corruption.'  He  did  not  recollect  the  miracle 
wrought  by  the  bones  of  Elisha,  nor  did  I  either  at 
the  time. 

"Mahommed  Shareef  Khan,  one  of  the  most  re- 
nowned of  the  Persian  generals,  having  served  the 
present  Royal  Family  for  four  generations,  called 
to  see  me,  out  of  respect  to  General  Malcolm.     An 


370  MEMOIR    OP 

Armenian  priest  also,  on  his  way  from  Bussorali  to 
Isfahan:  he  was  as  ignorant  as  the  rest  of  his  breth- 
ren. To  my  surprise  1  found  he  was  of  the  Latin 
Church,  and  read  the  service  in  Latin;  though  he 
confessed  he  knew  nothing  about  the  language." 

Mr.  Martyn  unwilling  to  lose  any  opportunity  (if 
it  were  the  will  of  God,)  of  benefiting  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Shiraz,  was  never  inaccessible  to  them.  Strict 
as  he  was  in  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  he  ad- 
mitted them,  even  on  that  day,  to  speak  with  him, 
for  he  had  learnt  the  import  of  those  words,  "I  will 
have  mercy  and  not  sacrifice." — In  consequence, 
however,  of  his  removal  in  the  middle  of  the  month 
of  July,  to  a  garden  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city^ 
where  his  kind  host  had  pitched  a  tent  for  him,  to 
relieve  the  tedium  of  confinement  within  the  walls 
of  Shiraz — he  prosecuted  the  work  before  him  un- 
interruptedly. 'Living  amidst  clusters  of  grapes  by 
the  side  of  a  clear  stream,'  as  he  describes  it,  and 
frequently  sitting  under  the  shade  of  an  oratige  tree, 
which  Jaffier  Ali  Khan  delighted  to  point  out  to 
visitors,  until  the  day  of  his  own  departure,  he  pass- 
ed many  a  tranquil  hour,  and  enjoyed  many  a  Sab- 
bath of  holy  rest,  and  divine  refreshment.  Of  one 
of  these  Sabbaths,  he  thus  writes,  July  14. — "The 
first  Sabbath  morning  I  have  had  to  myself  this  long 
time,  and  I  spent  it  with  comfort  and  profit.  Read 
Isaiah  chiefly,  and  hymns,  which,  as  usual,  brought 
to  my  remembrance  the  children  of  God  in  all  parts 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  371 

cf  the  earth;  remembered,  especially,  dear  =***,  as 
he  desh'ed  me,  on  this  his  birth-daj." 

The  day  following  this  happy,  though  solitary, 
Sabbath,  formed  a  contrast  to  its  peaceful  and  sacred 
serenity — being  the  day  of  Mr.  Martyn's  first  'public 
controversy  with  the  Mahometans. 

After  some  hesitation  and  demur,  the  Moojtuhid, 
or  Professor  of  Mahometan  Law,  consented  to  a 
discussion  upon  religious  topics.  He  was  a  man  of 
great  consequence  in  Shiraz,  being  the  last  authority 
in  the  decision  of  all  matters  connected  with  his 
profession;  so  that  a  contest  with  him,  as  \t  re- 
spected rank,  prejudice,  popularity,  and  reputation 
for  learning,  was  manifestly  an  unequal  one.  Mr. 
Martyn,  however,  fearlessly  engaged  in  it,  knowing^ 
in  whom  he  had  believed. 

The  subjoined  is  the  account  he  has  left  of  this 
disputation — if  such  indeed  it  can  be  called — for 
the  Professor,  it  seems,  could  not  so  far  forget  his 
official  dignity,  as  to  dispute  fairly  and  temperately 
— he  preferred  the  easier  task  of  dogmatising 
magisterially. 

"He  first  ascertained  from  Seid  Ali,  (said  Mr. 
Martyn,)  that  I  did  not  want  demonstration, but  ad- 
mitted that  the  prophets  had  been  sent.  So  being 
a  little  easy  at  this  assurance,  he  invited  us  to  dinner. 
About  eight  o'clock  at  night  we  went,  and  after 
passing  along  many  an  avenue,  we  entered  a  fine 
court,  where  was  a  pond,  and  by  the  side  of  it  a  plat- 
form, eight  feet  high,  covered  with  carpets.     Here 


372  MEMOIR    Oh 

sat  the  Moojtuhid  in  state,  with  a  coiisiderabie  num- 
ber of  his  learned  friends;  among  the  rest,  I  per- 
ceived the  Jew.  One  was  at  Itis  prayers.  1  was 
never  more  disgusted  at  the  mockery  of  this  kind 
of  prayer.  He  went  through  the  evolutions  with 
great  exactness,  and  pretended  to  be  unmoved  at 
the  ncise  and  chit-chat  of  persons  on  each  side  of 
him.  The  Professor  seated  Seid  Ah  on  his  right 
hand,  and  me  on  his  leff.  Every  thing  around  bore 
the  appearance  of  opulence  and  ease;  and  the  swar- 
thy obesity  of  the  little  personage  himself,  led  me 
to  suppose  that  he  had  paid  more  attention  to  cook- 
ing than  to  science.  But  when  he  began  to  speak, 
I  saw  reason  enough  for  his  being  so  much  admired. 
The  substance  of  his  speech  was  flimsy  enough;  but 
he  spoke  with  uncommon  fluency  and  clearness,  and 
w^ith  a  manner  confident  and  imposing.  He  talked 
for  a  full  hour  about  the  soul,  its  being  distinct  from 
the  body,  superior  to  the  brutes,  k,^.;  about  God,  his 
unity,  invisibility,  and  other  obvious  and  acknowledg- 
ed truths.  After  this  followed  another  discourse. 
So,  after  clearing  his  way  for  miles  around,  he  said.. 
'that  philosophers  had  proved,  that  a  single  being 
could  produce  but  a  single  being.  That  the  first 
thing  God  had  created  was  Wisdom — a  being  per- 
fectly one  with  him;  after  that,  the  souls  of  men  and 
the  seventh  heaven;  and  so  on,  till  he  produced  mat- 
ter, which  is  merely  passive.'  He  illustrated  the 
theory,  by  com[)aring  all  being  to  a  circle:  at  one  ex- 
tremity of  the  diameter  is  God;  at  the  opposite  ex- 


REV.    HENRY    MARTIN.  373 

iremity  of  the  diameter  is  matter,  than  which  noth- 
ing in  the  world  is  meaner.  Rising  from  thence,  the 
highest  stage  of  matter  is  connected  with  the  low- 
est stage  of  vegetation;  the  highest  of  the  vegeta- 
ble world,  with  the  lowest  of  the  animal;  and  so 
on,  till  we  approach  the  point  from  which  all  pro- 
ceeded* 'But,  (said  he,)  you  will  observe,  that 
next  to  God,  something  ought  to  be,  which  is  equal 
to  God;  for  since  it  is  equally  near,  it  possesses 
equal  dignity.  What  this  is,  philosophers  are  not 
agreed  upon.  You,'  said  he,  'say  it  is  Christ;  but 
we,  that  it  is  the  Spirit  of  the  Prophets.  All  this 
is  what  the  philosophers  have  proved,  independently 
of  any  particular  religion.'  I  rather  imagined  that 
it  was  the  invention  of  some  ancient  Oriental  Chris- 
tian, to  make  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  appear 
more  reasonable.  There  were  a  hundred  things  in 
the  Professor's  harangue  that  might  have  been 
excepted  against,  as  mere  dreams  supported  by  no 
evidence,  but  I  had  no  inclination  to  call  in  question 
dogmas,  on  the  truth  or  falsehood  of  which,  nothing 
in  religion  depended. 

"He  was  speaking,  at  one  time,  about  the  angels, 
arid  asserted  that  man  was  superior  to  them,  and 
that  no  being  greater  than  man  could  be  created. 
Here  the  Jew  reminded  me  of  a  passage  in  the 
Bible,  quoting  something  in  Hebrew.  Lwas  a  little 
surprised,  and  was  just  about  to  ask,  where  he  found 
any  thing  in  the  Bible,  to  support  such  a  doctrine? 
when  the  Moojtuhid,  not  thinking  it  worth  while  to 
48 


374  MEiMoiR  or 

pay  any  attention  to  what  the  Jew  said,  continued 
his  discourse.     At  last  the  Jew  grew  impatient,  and 
finding  an  opportunity  of  speaking,  said  to  me,  'Why 
do  not  you  speak? — Why  do  not  you  bring  forward 
your  objections?'     The  Professor,  at  the  close  of 
some  of  his  long  speeches,  said  to  me,  'You  see  how 
much  there  is  to  be  said  on  these  subjects:  several 
visits  will  be  necessary;  we  must  come  to  the  point 
by  degrees?'     Perceiving  how  much  he  dreaded  a 
close  discussion,  I  did  not  mean  to  hurry  him,  but  let 
him  talk  on,  not  expecting  we  should  have  any  thing 
about  Mahometanism  the  first  night.     But  at  the 
instigation  of  the  Jew,  I  said,  'Sir,  you  see  that  Al> 
doolghunee,  is  anxious  that  you  should  say  something 
about  Islam.'     He  was  much  displeased  at  being 
brought  so  prematurely  to  the  weak  point,  but  could 
not  decline  accepting  so  direct  a  challenge.     'Well,* 
said  he  to  me,  'I  must  ask  you  a  few  questions. — 
Why  do  you  believe  in  Christ?'   I  replied,  'That  i& 
not  the  question.     I  am  at  liberty  to  say,  that  I  do 
not  believe  in  any  religion;  that  I  am  a  plain  man, 
seeking  the  way  of  salvation;  that  it  was,  moreover,^ 
quite  unnecessary  to  prove  the  truth  of  Christ  to 
Mahometans,  because  they  allowed  it.'     'No  such, 
thing,'  said  he.     'The  Jesus  w-e  acknowledge  is  he 
who  was  a  prophet,  a  mere  servant  of  God,  and 
one   who  bore   testimony  to   Mahomet;    not  your 
Jesus,  whom  you  call  God,'  said  he,  with  a  contemp- 
tuous smile.     He  then  enumerated  the  persons  who 
had  spoken  of  the  miracles  of  Mahomet,  and  told  a 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  37  i> 

long  story  about  Salmon,  the  Persian,  who  had  come 
to  Mahomet.  I  asked,  'whether  this  Salmon  had 
written  an  account  of  the  miracles  he  had  seen?' 
He  confessed  that  he  had  not.  'Nor,'  said  I,  'have 
you  a  single  witness  to  the  miracles  of  Mahomet.' 
He  then  tried  to  shew,  that  though  they  had  not, 
there  was  still  sufficient  evidence.  'For,'  said  he, 
^suppose  five  hundred  persons  should  say  that  they 
heard  some  particular  thing  of  a  hundred  persons 
who  were  with  Mahomet:  would  that  be  sufficient 
evidence,  or  not?'  'Whether  it  be  or  not,'  said  I. 
'you  have  no  such  evidence  as  that,  nor  any  thing- 
like  it;  but  if  you  have,  as  they  are  something  like 
witnesses,  we  must  proceed  to  examine  them,  and 
dee  whether  their  testimony  deserves  credit.' 

"After  this,  the  Koran  was  mentioned;  but  as  the 
company  began  to  thin,  and  the  great  man  had  not  a 
sufficient  audience,  before  whom  to  display  his  el- 
oquence, the  dispute  was  not  so  brisk.  He  did  not, 
indeed,  seem  to  think  it  worth  while  to  notice  my 
objections.  He  mentioned  a  well-known  sentence 
from  the  Koran,  as  being  inimitable.  I  produced 
another  sentence,  and  beggei  to  know  why  it  was 
inferior  to  the  Koranic  one.  He  declined  saying 
why,  under  pretence  that  it  required  such  a  knowl- 
edge of  rhetoric,  in  order  to  understand  his  proofs, 
as  probably  I  did  not  possess.  A  scholar  afterwards 
came  to  Seid  Ali,  with  twenty  reasons  for  preferring 
Mahomet's  sentence  to  mine. 


376  MExMOIR    OF 

"It  was  midnight  when  dinner,  or  rather  supper, 
was  brought  in:  it  was  a  sullen  meal.  The  great 
man  was  silent;  and  I  was  sleepj.  Seid  Ali,  how- 
ever, had  not  had  enough.  While  burying  his  hand 
in  the  dish  with  the  Professor,  he  softly  mentioned 
some  more  of  my  objections.  He  was  so  vexed, 
that  he  scarcely  answered  any  thing,  but,  after  sup- 
per, told  a  very  long  story,  all  reflecting  upon  me. 
He  described  a  grand  assembly  of  Christians,  Jews, 
Guebres,  and  Sabians,  (for  they  generally  do  us  the 
honor  of  stringing  us  with  the  other  three,)  before 
Iman  Ruza.  The  Christians  were  of  course  defeat- 
ed and  silenced.  It  was  a  remark  of  the  Iman's,  in 
which  the  Professor  acquiesced,  'that  it  was  quite 
useless  for  Mahometans  and  Christians  to  argue  to- 
gether, as  they  had  different  languages  and  different 
histories.'  To  the  last  I  said  nothing;  but  to  the 
former  replied  by  relating  the  fable  of  the  Lion  and 
the  Man,  which  amused  Seid  Ali  so  much,  ^hat  he 
laughed  out  before  the  great  man,  and  all  the  way 
home." 

So  universal  a  spirit  of  inquiry  had  been  excited 
in  the  city  of  Shiraz,  by  Mr.  Martyn's  frequent  dis- 
putations, as  well  as  by  the  notoriety  of  his  being  en- 
gaged in  a  translation  of  the  New  Testament  into 
Persian,  that  the  Preceptor  of  all  the  Moollahs  began 
greatly  to  "fear  whereunto  this  would  grow."  On 
the  26th  of  July,  therefore,  an  Arabic  defence  of 
Mahometanism  made  its  appearance  from  his  pen. 
A  considerable  time  had  been  spent  in  its  pre  para- 


REV.    IlENRY   MARTYN.  37*/ 

tion,and  on  its  seeing  the  light,  it  obtained  the  credit 
of  surpassing  all  former  treatises  upon  Islam. 

This  work,  as  far  as  a  judgment  of  it  can  be 
formed  from  a  translation,  discovered  amongst  Mr. 
Martyn's  papers,  is  written  with  much  temper  and 
moderation,  and  with  as  much  candor  as  is  con- 
sistent with  that  degree  of  subtilty,  which  is  indis- 
pensable in  an  apology  for  so  glaring  an  imposture 
as  Mahometanisra. 

The  Chief  Moollah  begins  by  declaring  his  desire 
to  avoid  all  altercation  and  wrangling,  and  ex- 
presses his  hopes  that  God  would  guide  into  the 
right  way  those  whom  he  chose.  He  then  en- 
deavors, in  the  body  of  the  work,  to  shew  the 
superiority  of  the  single  perpetual  miracle  of  the 
Koran,  addressed  to  the  understanding,  above  the 
variety  of  miracles  Avrought  by  Moses  and  by- 
Christ,  which  were  originally  addressed  only  to 
the  senses,  and  that  these,  from  lapse  of  time,  be- 
come every  day  less  and  less  powerful  in  their 
influence.  And  he  concludes  with  the  following 
address  to  Mr.  Martyn: — 

"Thus  behold,  then,  O  thou  that  art  wise,  and 
consider  Avith  the  eye  of  justice,  since  thou  hast  no 
excuse  to  offer  to  God.  Thou  hast  wished  to  see 
the  truth  of  miracles.  We  desire  you  to  look  at 
the  great  Koran:  that  is  an  everlasting  miracle." 

"This  was  finished  by  Ibraheem  ben  al  Hosyn, 
after  the  evening  of  the  second  day  of  the  week, 
the  23rd  of  the  month  lemadi,  the  second  in  the 


378  WEMom  OF 

year  1223  of  the  Hegira  of  the  Prophet.     On  him 
who  fled  be  a  thousand  salutations!" 

This  work  Mr.  Martjn  immediately  set  himself 
to  refute,  in  dependence  on  his  Savior  to  "give  him 
a  wisdom  which  his  adversaries  should  not  be  able 
to  gainsay."  His  answer  was  divided  into  two  parts: 
the  first  was  devoted  principally  to  an  attack  upon 
Mahometanism:  the  second  was  intended  to  display 
the  evidences  and  establish  the  authority  of  the 
Christian  faith.  It  was  written  in  Persian,  and  from 
a  translation  of  the  first  part,  which  has  been  found, 
we  perceive  that  Mr.  Martyn,  "having  such  hope, 
used  great  plainness  of  speech,"  whilst,  at  the  same 
time,  he  treated  his  opponent  with  meekness  ^and 
courtesy. 

After  replying  to  the  various  arguments  of  Mirza 
Ibraheem,  Mr.  Martyn  shews  why  men  are  bound 
to  reject  Mahometanism — that  Mahomet  was  fore- 
told by  no  Prophet — that  he  worked  no  miracle — 
that  he  spread  his  religion  by  means  merely  human, 
and  framed  his  precepts  and  promises  to  gratify 
men's  sensuality,  both  here  and  hereafter — that  he 
was  most  ambitious  both  for  himself  and  his  family — 
that  his  Koran  is  full  of  gross  absurdities  and  palpable 
contradictions — that  it  contains  a  method  of  salvation 
wholly  inefficacious,  which  Mr.  Martyn  contrasted 
Avith  the  glorious  and  efficacious  way  of  salvation 
held  out  in  the  Gospel,  through  the  Divine  Atone- 
ment of  Jesus  Christ.  He  concludes  by  addressing 
Mirza  Ibraheem  in  these  words: — 


RET.    HENRY   MARTYN.  379 

"I  beg  you  to  view  these  things  with  the  eye  of 
impartiahty.  If  the  evidence  be  indeed  convincing, 
mind  not  the  contempt  of  the  ignorant,  nor  even 
death  itself — for  the  vain  world  is  passing  away,  hke 
the  wind  of  the  desert. 

"If  you  do  not  see  the  evidence  to  be  sufficient, 
my  prayer  is,  that  God  may  guide  you;  so  that  you, 
who  have  been  a  guide  to  men  in  the  way  you 
thought  right,  may  now  both  see  the  truth,  and  call 
men  to  God,  through  Jesus  Christ,  'who  hath  loved 
us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  blood.'  His 
Glory  and  Dominion  be  everlasting." 

Reverting  to  the  Journal,  we  meet  with  the  fol- 
lowing statements  illustrative  of  the  Persian  charac- 
ter, and  descriptive  of  the  genius  of  Soofeism.  From 
these,  also,  we  discover  that,  notwithstanding  indi- 
viduals were  to  be  found  in  Shiraz,  who  professed 
Mahometanism  without  having  imbibed  the  spirit  of 
cruelty  and  extermination  which  belongs  to  it,  that 
Mr.  Martyn  was  nevertheless  exposed  there  to  per- 
sonal danger,  and  subjected  to  much  contempt  and 
many  insults. — "July  29. — Mirza  Ibraheem  declared 
publicly,  before  all  his  disciples,  'that  if  I  really  con- 
futed his  arguments,  he  should  be  bound  in  con- 
science to  become  a  Christian.  Alas!  from  such 
a  declaration,  I  have  little  hope.  His  general 
good  character  for  uprightness,  and  unbounded  kind- 
ness to  the  poor,  would  be  a  much  stronger  reason 
with  me,  for  believing  that  he  may  be,  perhaps,  a 
Cornelius, 


380  MEMOIR    OF 

"Aug.  2. — Much  against  his  will,  Mirza  Ibraheem 
was  obliged  to  go  to  his  brother,  who  is  Governor 
of  some  town,  thirty-eight  parasangs  off.  To  the 
last  moment  he  continued  talking  with  his  nephew, 
on  the  subject  of  his  book,  and  begged,  that  in  case 
of  his  detention,  my  reply  might  be  sent  to  him. 

"Aug.  7. — My  friends  talked,  as  usual,  much  about 
what  they  call  Divine  Love;  but  I  do  not  very  well 
comprehend  what  they  mean.  They  love  not  the 
Holy  God,  but  the  God  of  their  own  imagination — 
a  God  who  will  let  them  do  as  they  please. 

"I  often  remind  Seid  Ali  of  one  defect  in  his  sys- 
tem, which  is,  that  there  is  no  one  to  stand  between 
his  sins  and  God.  Knowing  what  I  allude  to,  he 
says,  'Well,  if  the  death  of  Christ  intervene,  no  harm; 
Soofeism  can  admit  this  too.' 

"14. — Returned  to  the  city  in  a  fever,  which  con- 
tinued all  the  next  day,  until  the  evening. 

"15.- — Jani  Khan,  in  rank  corresponding  to  one  of 
our  Scotch  Dukes,  as  he  is  the  head  of  all  the  mili- 
tary tribes  of  Persia,  and  Chief  of  his  own  tribe, 
which  consists  of  twenty  thousand  families,  called  on 
Jaffier  Ali  Khan,  with  a  message  from  the  King.  He 
asked  me  a  great  number  of  questions,  and  disputed 
a  little.  'I  suppose,'  said  he,  'you  consider  us  all  as 
Infidels.'^'  'Yes,'  replied  I,  'the  whole  of  you.'  He 
was  mightily  pleased  with  my  frankness,  and  men- 
tioned it  when  he  was  going  away. 

15 — 22.  The  copyist  having  shewn  my  answer 
to  a  Moodurris,  called  MooUah  Acber,  he  wrote  on 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  381 

the  margin,  with  great  acrioiony,  but  little  sense. 
Seid  Ali  having  shewn  his  remarks  ia  some  compa- 
nies, they  begged  him  not  to  shew  them  to  me,  for 
fear  I  should  disgrace  them  ail,  through  the  folly  of 
one  man. 

"23. — Ruza  Cooli  Mirza,  the  great  grandson  of 
Nadir  Shah,  and  Aga  Mahommed  Hasan,  called. 
The  Prince's  nephew,  hearing  of  my  attack  on  Ma- 
homet, observed,  that  the  proper  answer  to  it  ivas — 
the  sword;  but  the  Prince  confessed  that  he  began 
to  have  his  doubts.  On  his  inquiring  what  Avere  the 
laws  of  Christianity,  meaning  the  number  of  times 
of  prayer,  the  diiTerent  washings,  &c.  I  said,  we 
had  two  commandments,  *Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord 
thy  God,  with  all  thy  heart,  and  all  thy  soul,  and  all 
thy  strength;  and  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.'  He 
asked,  'what  could  be  better?'  and  continued  prais- 
ing them. 

"The  Moollah,  Aga  Mahomed  Hassan,  himself  a 
Moodurris,  and  a  very  sensible  candid  man,  asked  a 
good  deal  about  the  European  philosophy,  particu- 
larly what  we  did  in  metaphysics,  for  instance,  'how, 
or  in  what  sense,  the  body  of  Christ  ascended  into 
heaven?'  He  talked  of  free  will  and  fate,  and  rea- 
soned high,  and  at  last  reconciled  them,  according 
to  the  doctrines,  of  the  Sooiies,  by  saying,  'that  as 
all  being  is  an  emanation  of  the  Deity,  the  will  of 
<every  being  ts  only  the  will  of  the  Deity;  that  there- 
fore, in  fact,  free-will  and  fate,  were  the  same.'  He 
has  nothing  to  find  fault  with  in  Christianity,  but  the 
49 


382  MEiMOIR    OP 

Divinity  of  Christ.  It  is  this  doctrine  that  exposei^ 
me  to  the  contempt  of  the  learned  Mahometans,  in 
whom  it  is  difficult  to  saj  whether  pride  or  igno- 
rance predominates.  Their  sneers  are  more  diffi- 
cult to  bear,  than  the  brickbats  which  the  boys 
sometimes  throw  at  me:  however,  both  are  an  honor 
of  which  I  am  not  worthy.  How  many  times  in  the 
day  have  I  occasion  to  repeat  the  words, 

*If  on  my  face,  for  thy  dear  name. 

Shame  and  reproaches  be; 
All  hail  reproach,  and  welcome  shame. 

If  Thou  remember  me.' 

**The  more  they  wish  me  to  give  up  one  point — 
the  Divinity  of  Christ,  the  more  I  seem  to  feel  the 
necessity  of  it,  and  rejoice  and  glory  in  it.  Indeed, 
I  trust*!  would  sooner  give  up  my  life  than  surren- 
der it." 

The  following  account  of  an  intervie  w,  to  which 
Mr.  Martyn  was  admitted,  with  the  head  of  the  sect 
of  the  Soofies,  will  interest  those  whose  thoughts 
are  turned  towards  the  state  of  religion  in  the  East: 
a  large  proportion  of  the  city  of  Shiraz,  it  is  com- 
puted, are  either  the  secret  or  avowed  disciples  of 
Mirza  Abulcasim.  Whenever  "a  great  and  effisct- 
ual  door"  is  opened  for  Christianity,  'Hhere  are  many 
adversaries."  It  is  otherwise  w^ith  a  delusion  con- 
genial to  the  "desires  of  the  flesh  and  of  the  mind" 
in  fallen  man.  Such  a  system,  the  God  of  this  world 
is  concerned  to  uphold  rather  than  oppose. 


REiV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  ►  383 

*'In  the  evening  we  went  to  pay  a  long  promised 
visit  to  Mirza  Abulcasiin,  one  of  the  most  renown- 
ed Soofies  in  all  Persia.  We  found  several  persons 
sitting  in  an  open  court,  in  which  a  few  greens  and 
flowers  were  placed;  the  master  in  a  corner,  a  very 
fresh  looking  old  man,  with  a  silver  beard.  I  was 
surprised  to  observe  the  downcast  sorrowful  looks  of 
the  assembly,  and  still  more  at  the  silence  that 
reigned.  After  sitting  some  time  in  expectation,  and 
being  not  at  all  disposed  to  waste  my  time  sitting 
there,  I  said  softly  to  Seid  Ali,  'What  is  this?'  He 
said, 'It  is  the  custom  here,  to  think  much  and  speak 
little.'  'May  I  ask  the  master  a  question?'  said  I. 
With  some  hesitation  he  consented  to  let  me:  so  I 
begged  Jaffier  Ali  to  inquire,  'What  is  the  way  to  be 
happy?' 

This  he  did  in  his  own  manner:  he  began  by  ob- 
serving, 'that  there  was  a  great  deal  of  misery  in 
the  world,  and  that  the  learned  shared  as  largely  in 
it  as  the  rest;  that  I  wished,  therefore,  to  know 
what  we  must  do  to  escape  it.'  The  master  repli- 
ed, 'that,  for  his  part,  he  did  not  know;  but  that  it 
was  usually  said,  the  subjugation  of  the  passions  was 
the  shortest  way  to  happiness.' 

"After  a  considerable  pause,  I  ventured  to  ask, 
'what  were  his  feelings  at  the  prospect  of  death — 
hope,  fear,  or  neither?'  'Neither,'  said  he,  and  'that 
pleasure  and  pain  were  both  alike.'  I  then  per- 
ceived that  the  Stoics  were  Greek  SooSes.  I  asked, 
'whether  he  had  attained  this  apathy?'    He  said. 


384  MEMOIR    OF 

*No.'  ^Whj  do  jou  think  it  attainable?'  He  could 
not  tell.  'Why  do  jou  think  that  jileasure  and  pain 
are  not  the  same?'  said  Seld  Ail,  taking  his  masters 
part.  'Because,'  said  I,  'I  have  the  evidence  of  my 
senses  for  it.  And  you  also  act  as  if  there  was  a  dif- 
ference. Why  do  you  eat,  but  that  you  fear  pain?' 
These  silent  sao^es  sat  unmoved.  One  of  the  disci- 
pies  is  the  son  of  the  Moojtuhid,  who,  greatly  to  the 
vexation  of  his  father,  is  entirely  devoted  to  the 
Soofi  Doctor.  He  attended  his  calean  Avith  the 
utmost  humility.  Ofr  observing  the  pensive  counte- 
nance of  the  vounsr  man,  and  knowing:  somethinof  of 
his  history  fronqi  Seld  Ali,  how  he  had  left  all  to  find 
happiness  in  th^  contemplation  of  God,  I  longed  to 
make  known  th6  glad  tidings  of  a  Savior,  and  thank- 
ed God, oncoming  away,  that  1  was  not  left  ignorant 
of  the  Gospel.  I  could  not  help  being  a  little  pleas- 
ant on  Seld  All,  afterwards,  for  his  admiration  of 
tills  silent  instructor.  "There  you  sit,  (said  J.)  im- 
mersed in  tliought,  full  of  anxiety  and  care,  and  will 
not  take  the  trouble  to  ask  whether  God  has  said 
any  thing  or  not.  No:  that  is  too  easy  and  direct  a 
way  of  coming  to  the  truth.  I  compare  you  to  spi- 
ders, who  weave  their  house  of  defence  out  of  their 
own  bowels,  or  to  a  set  of  people  who  are  groping 
for  a  light  in  broad  day.' " 

Mr.  Martyn's  mathematical  acquirements  were  to 
him  Invaluable,  inasmuch  as  they  gave  him  that  habit 
of  patient  and  persevering  study,  which  was  sancti- 
fied in  the  application  of  his  powers  to  the  highest 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN-  385 

ends  and  purjDoses.  There  were  also  occasions,  in 
which  this,  and  other  sciences,  were  of  service  to  the 
cause  he  had  at  heart,  by  procuring  for  him  that  at- 
tention and  respect,  which  learning  ever  secures  in 
countries  where  the  light  of  civilization  shines, 
though  but  faintly  and  imperfectly.  Of  this  we 
liave  an  instance  in  the  following  account. — "26. — 
Waited  this  morning  on  Mahommed  Nubee  Khan, 
late  Ambassador  at  Calcutta,  and  now  Prime  Minis- 
ter of  Fars.  There  w^ere  a  vast  number  of  clients 
in  his  court,  with  w4iom  he  transacted  business  while 
chatting  with  us.  Amongst  the  others  who  came 
and  sat  with  us,  was  my  tetric  adversary,  Aga  Acber, 
who  came  for  the  very  purpose  of  presenting  the 
Minister  with  a  little  book  he  had  written  in  answer 
to  mine.  After  presenting  it  in  due  form,  he  sat 
down,  and  told  me  he  meant  to  bring  me  a  copy  that 
day — a  promise  he  did  not  perform,  through  Seid 
Ali's  persuasion,  who  told  him  it  was  a  performance 
that  w^ould  do  him  no  credit.  Aora  Acber  grave  mc 
a  hint  respecting  its  contents,  namely,  that  there 
Avere  four  answers  to  my  objections  to  Mahometans 
using  the  sword. 

"He  then,  without  any  ceremony,  began  to  ques- 
tion me,  before  the  company,  (there  w^ere  more  than 
fifty  in  the  hall,  and  crowds  in  front,  all  listening,) 
about  the  European  philosophy,  and  brought  objec- 
tions against  the  world's  motion,  with  as  much 
spleen  as  if  he  had  an  estate  he  was  afraid  would 
run  away  from  him.     As  it  was  a  visit  of    mere 


386  MEMOIR  OF 

ceremony,  I  was  not  a  little  surprised  and  looked  at 
the  Minister,  to  know  if  it  would  not  be  a  breach 
of  good  manners  to  dispute  at  such  a  time;  but  it 
seems  there  was  nothing  contrary  to  costume,  as  he 
rather  expected  my  answer.  I  explained  our  sys- 
tem to  Aga  Acber,  but  there  were  many  things  not 
to  be  understood  without  diagrams;  so  a  scribe  in 
waiting  was  ordered  to  produce  his  implements,  and 
I  was  obliged  to  shew  him,  first,  the  sections  of  the 
cone,  and  how  a  body  revolves  in  an  eclipse  round 
the  sun  in  one  focus,  &lc.  He  knew  nothing  of 
mathematics,  as  I  suspected,  so  it  was  soon  found 
useless  to  proceed — he  comprehended  nothing. 

"On  my  return,  Jafiier  Ah  Khan  and  Mirza  Seid 
Ali,  requested  me  to  explain  to  them  my  proofs. 
I  did  my  best;  but  there  were  so  many  things 
they  were  obliged  to  take  for  granted,  that  all  my 
endeavors  were  to  little  purpose.  So  much  Mirza 
Seid  Ali  comprehended^  that  the  hypothesis  of  a 
force,  varying  inversely  as  the  square  of  the  dis- 
tance, was  sufficient  to  account  for  every  phenome- 
non, and  therefore,  according  to  the  rules  of  phi- 
losophy, a  more  complex  hypothesis  was  not  to  be 
admitted.     This  he  had  sense  enough  to  see." 

There  is  something  so  estimable  in  the  character 
of  Mr.  Martyn's  opponent,  Mirza  Ibraheem,  that  it 
will  not  fail  to  secure  the  attention  of  the  reader, 
in  perusing  the  subjoined  relation,  of  the  effect  pro^ 
duced  on  his  mind  by  Mr.  Martyn's  defence  of 
Christianity    and    attack  upon    Mahometanism.— ~ 


REV.  HENRY  MARTYN.  387 


«0( 


'29th. — Mirza  Ibraheem  begins  to  inquire  about 
the  Gospel.  The  objections  he  made  were  such 
as  these:  How  sins  could  be  atoned  for,  before  thej 
were  committed?  Whether,  as  Jesus  died  for  all 
men,  all  would  necessarily  be  saved?  If  Faith  be 
the  condition  of  salvation,  would  vv^icked  Christians 
be  saved,  provided  they  believe?  I  was  pleased 
to  see,  from  the  nature  of  the  objections,  that 
he  was  considering  the  subject.  To  his  last 
objection,  I  remarked,  'that  to  those  who  felt  them- 
selves sinners,  and  came  to  God  for  mercy,  through 
Christ,  God  would  give  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  would 
progressively  sanctify  them  in  heart  and  life.' 

"30. — Mirza  Ibraheem  praises  my  answer,  espe- 
cially the  first  part.'* 

Mr.  Martyn's  mind,  we  have  had  frequent  occa- 
sion to  notice,  closed  as  it  was  against  trifling  vani- 
ties, was  ever  open  and  alive  to  many  of  those  sub- 
jects, which  arrest  the  attention*and  interest  the 
curiosity  of  men  of  science  and  research,  and  which 
form  one  great  source  of  intellectual  gratifications. 
Whilst  the  moral  depravity  of  Shiraz  chiefly  occu- 
pied his  thoughts,  and  excited  his  commiseration, 
he  could  find  also  a  mournful  pleasure  in  musing 
over  the  fallen  grandeur  of  Persepolis. 

He  has  left  the  following  observations  and  re- 
flections, on  visiting  those  celebrated  remains  of  an- 
tiquity. 

"I  procured  two  horsemen,  as  guards,  from  the 
Minister,  and  set  off  about   two  hours  before  sun- 


388  ME-MOIR    OF 

set.  At  a  station  of  Rahdars  we  led  the  horses, 
and  then  continued  our  course,  through  a  most  dis- 
mal country,  till  midnight,  when  we  entered  a  vast 
plain,  and  two  or  three  hours  before  day  crossed  the 
Araxes,  by  a  bridge  of  three  arches,  and  coming  in 
sight  of  the  ruins,  waited  for  the  day.  I  laid  down 
upon  the  bare  ground,  but  it  was  too  cold  to  sleep. 
When  the  sun  rose,  we  entered.  My  guards  and 
servant  had  not  the  smallest  curiosity  to  see  ruins; 
and  therefore,  the  moment  they  mounted  the  ter- 
race, they  laid  down  and  all  fell  asleep.  These 
people  cannot  imagine  why  Europeans  come  to  see 
these  ruins.  One  of  them  said  to  me,  'A  nice  place, 
Sahib;  good  air  and  a  fine  garden;  you  may  carry 
brandy,  and  drink  there  at  leisure.'  Thus  he  united, 
as  he  thought,  the  two  ingredients  of  human  happi- 
ness— the  European  enjoyment  of  drinking,  and  the 
Persian  one  of  straight  walks,  cypress  trees,  and 
muddy  water  in  a  square  cistern.  One  of  my  guards 
was  continually  reminding  me,  on  my  way  thither, 
that  it  was  uninhabited.  Finding  me  still  persist,  he 
imagined  that  my  object  must  be  to  do  something 
there  in  secret,  and  accordingly,  after  I  had  satisfied 
my  curiosity,  and  was  coming  away,  he  plainly  ask- 
ed me,  whether  I  had  been  drinking — observing, 
perhaps,  my  eyes,  red  with  cold  and  want  of  sleep. 
When  I  gravely  told  them,  that  drunkenness  was 
as  great  a  sin  with  us  as  with  them,  they  altered 
their  tone,  and  said,  wine  was  not  only  unlawful,  but 
odious  and  filthy. 


tlEY.    HENRY   MARTYN.  389 

"After  traversing  these  celebrated  ruins,  I  must 
say,  that  I  felt  a  little  disappointed:  they  did  not  at 
all  answer  ray  expectation. — The  architecture  of 
the  ancient  Persians,  seems  to  be  much  more  akin 
to  that  of  their  clumsy  neighbors,  the  Indians, 
than  to  that  of  the  Greeks.  I  saw  no  appearance 
of  grand  design  any  where.  Tiie  chapiters  of  the 
columns  were  almost  as  long  as  the  shafts — though 
they  were  not  so  represented  in  Niebuhr's  plate. 
I  saw  his  name  there:  and  the  mean  little  passages 
into  the  square  court,  or  room,  or  whatever  it  was, 
make  it  very  evident  that  the  taste  of  the  Orientals 
was  the  same  three  thousand  years  ago  as  it  is  now. 

"But  it  was  impossible  not  to  recollect  that  here 
Alexander  and  his  Greeks  passed  and  repassed — 
here  they  sat,  and  sung,  and  revelled;  now  all  is 
silence — generation  on  generation  lie  mingled  with 
the  dust  of  their  mouldering  edifices: — 

*Alike  the  busy  and  the  gay 
But  flutter  in  life's  busy  day. 
In  fortup.e's  varying  colors  dressM." 

^'From  the  ruins  I  rode  off  to  a  neighboring  vil- 
lage, the  head  man  of  which,  at  the  Minister's 
order,  paid  me  every  attention.  At  sunset,  we  set 
out  on  our  return,  and  lost  our  way.  As  I  par- 
ticularly remarked  where  we  entered  the  plains,  I 
pointed  out  the  track,  which  afterwards  proved  to 
be  right;  but  my  opinion  was  overruled,  and  we 
gallopped  farther  and  farther  away.  Meeting,  at 
last,  with  some  villagers,  who  were  passing  the  night 
50 


39U  MEMOIR     OP 

at  their  threshing  floor  in  the  field,  we  were  set 
right.  They  then  conceived  so  high  an  idea  of  my 
geographical  skill,  that,  as  soon  as  we  recrossed  the 
Araxes,  they  begged  me  to  point  out  the  Keblah  to 
them,  as  they  wanted  to  pray.  After  setting  their 
faces  towards  Mecca,  as  nearly  as  I  could,  I  went 
and  sat  down  on  the  margin,  near  the  bridge,  where 
the  water  falling  over  some  fragments  of  the  bridge 
under  the  arches,  produced  a  roar,  which,  contrast- 
ed with  the  stillness  all  around,  had  a  grand  effect. 
Here  I  thought  again  of  the  multitudes  who  had. 
once  pursued  their  labors  and  pleasures  on  its 
banks.  Twenty-one  centuries  have  passed  away 
since  they  lived:  how  short,  in  comparison,  must  be 
the  remainder  of  my  days. — What  a  momentary 
duration  is  the  life  of  man!  Labitur  et  lahetur  in 
onine  volubilis  cevum^  may  be  affirmed  of  the  river; 
but  men  pass  away  as  soon  as  they  begin  to  exist. 
Well,  let  the  moments  pass — 

'They'll  waft  us  sooner  o'er 

This  life's  tempestuous  sea, 
A-ud  land  us  on  the  peaceful  shore 
Of  bless'd  Eternity.' 

"The  Mahometans  having  finished  their  prayers, 
I  mounted  my  horse,  and  pursued  my  way  over  the 
plain.  We  arrived  at  the  station  of  the  Rahdars  so 
early,  that  we  should  have  been  at  Shiraz  before 
the  gates  were  open,  so  we  halted.  I  put  my  head 
into  a  poor  corner  of  the  caravansara,  and  slept 

*  It  Jlo-ws  and  ivill  continue  to  fio-M  to  all  future  timesi 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  391 

soundly  upon  the  hard  stone,  till  the  rising  sun  bid 
us  continue  our  course. 

"One  of  my  guards  was  a  pensive  romantic  sort  of 
a  man,  as  far  as  Eastern  men  can  be  romantic,  that 
is,  he  is  constantly  reciting  love  verses.  He  often 
broke  a  long  silence  by  a  sudden  question  of  this 
sort:  'Sir,  what  is  the  chief  good  of  life?'  I  replied, 
'The  love  of  God.'  'What  next?'  ^The  love  of 
man.'  'That  is,'  said  he,  'to  have  men  love  us,  or  to 
love  them?'  'To  love  them.'  He  did  not  seem  to 
agree  with  me.  Another  time  he  asked,  'Who  were 
the  worst  people  in  the  world?' — I  said,  'Those  who 
know  their  duty  and  do  not  practice  it.'  At  the 
house  where  I  was  entertained,  they  asked  me  the 
question,  which  the  Lord  once  asked,  'What  think 
ye  of  Christ?'  I  generally  tell  them,  at  first,  what 
they  expect  to  hear,  'The  son  of  God;'  but  this  time 
I  said,  'The  same  as  you  say — the  Word  of  God.' 
'Was  he  a  prophet?'  'Yes,  in  some  sense,  he  was  a 
Prophet;  but  what  it  chiefly  concerns  us  to  know,  he 
was  an  Atonement  for  the  sins  of  men.'  Not  under- 
standing this,  they  made  no  reply.  'What  did  I 
think  of  the  soul;  was  it  out  of  the  body,  or  in  the 
body?'  I  supposed  the  latter.  'No,'  they  said,  'it  was 
neither  the  one  nor  the  other;  but  next  to,  and  the 
mover  of,  the  body.' 

The  details  Mr.  Martyn  gives  of  the  fast  61l 
Ramazan,  which  he  witnessed  on  his  return  to 
Shiraz,  whilst  they  shew  that  he  was  far  from  be- 
ing an  inobservent  spectator  of  what  was  passing 


392  MEMOIR    OP 

around  him,  afford  a  striking  view  of  the  interior  of 
Mahometanism. — We  plainly  discover  from  them 
that  a  love  for  particular  popular  preachers — a  fiery- 
zeal  in  religion — a  vehement  excitation  of  the  ani- 
mal feelings,  as  well  as  rigid  austerities — are  false 
critenons  of  genuine  piety — for  we  see  all  these  in 
tiieir  full  perfection  amongst  the  real  followers  of 
the  Crescent,  as  well  as  amongst  the  pretended  dis- 
ciples of  the  Cross. 

"Sept.  20.  (First  day  of  the  fast  of  Ramazan.) — 
All  the  family  had  been  up  in  the  night,  to  take  an 
unseasonable  meal,  in  order  to  fortify  themselves 
for  the  abstinence  of  the  day.  It  was  curious  to 
observe  the  effects  of  the  fast  in  the  house.  The 
master  was  scolding  and  beating  his  servants;  they 
equally  peevish  and  insolent;  and  the  beggars  more 
than  ordinarily  importunate  and  clamorous.  At  noon, 
all  the  city  v/ent  to  the  grand  Mosque.  My  host 
came  back  with  an  account  of  new  vexations  there. 
He  was  chatting  with  a  fj-iend,  near  the  door,  when 
a  great  preacher,  Hagi  Mirza,  arrived,  with  hundreds 
of  folloAvers.  'Why  do  you  not  say  your  prayers?' 
said  the  new  comers  to  the  two  friends.  'We  have 
finished,'  said  they.  'Well,'  said  the  others,  'if  you 
cannot  pray  a  second  time  with  us,  you  had  better 
move  out  of  the  way.' — Rather  than  join  such  tur- 
bulent zealots,  they  retired.  The  reason  of  this 
unceremonious  address  was,  that  these  loving  disci- 
ples had  a  desire  to  pray  all  in  a  row  with  their 
master,  which,  it  seems,  is  the  custom*     There  is 


RET.    HENRY    MARTYN.  393 

no  public  service  in  the  Mosques;  every  man  there 
prays  for  himself. 

"Coming  out  of  the  Mosque,  some  servants  of  the 
Prince,  for  their  amusement,  pushed  a  person  against 
a  poor  man's  stall,  on  which  w^ere  some  things  for 
sale,  a  few  European  and  Indian  articles,  also  some 
valuable  Warsaw  plates,  which  were  thrown  down 
and  broken.  The  servants  went  off,  without  making 
compensation.  No  Cazi  will  hear  a  complaint 
against  the  Prince's  servants. 

"Kagi  Mahomed  Hassan  preaches  every  day 
during  the  Ramazan.  He  takes  a  verse  from  the 
Koran,  or  more  frequently  tells  stories  about  the 
Imans.  If  the  ritual  of  the  Christian  Churches, 
their  good  forms,  and  every  thing  they  have,  is  a 
mere  shadow,  without  the  power  of  truth;  what 
must  all  this  Mahometan  stuff  be.'*  though,  how 
impossible  to  convince  the  people  of  the  world, 
whether  Christian  or  Mahometan,  that  what  they 
call  religion,  is  merely  a  thing  of  their  own,  having 
no  connexion  with  God  and  his  Kingdom.  This  sub- 
ject has  been  much  on  my  mind  lately.  How  sense- 
less the  zeal  of  Churchmen  against  Dissenters,  and 
of  Dissenters  ao^ainst  the  Church!  The  Kino^dom 
of  God  is  neither  meat,  nor  drink,  nor  any  thing  per- 
ishable; but  righteousness,  and  peace,  and  joy  in  the 
Holy  Ghost. 

*^Mirza  Ibraheem  never  goes  to  the  Mosque,  but 
he  is  so  much  respected,  that  nothing  is  said:  they 
conclude  that  he  is  employed  in  devotion  at  home. 


394  MEMOIR   OF 

Some  of  his  disciples  said  to  Seid  Ali,  before  him, 
'Now  the  Ramazan  is  come,  you  should  read  the  Ko- 
ran, and  leave  the  Gospel.'  'No,'  said  his  uncle,  'he  is 
employed  in  a  good  work;  let  him  go  on  with  it.' 
The  old  man  continues  to  inquire  with  interest  about 
the  Gospel,  and  is  impatient  for  his  nephew  to 
explain  the  evidences  of  Christianity,  which  1  have 
drawn  up. 

"22. — Sunday. — My  friends  returned  from  the 
Mosque,  full  of  indignation  at  what  they  had  witness- 
ed there.  The  former  Governor  of  Bushire  com- 
plained to  the  Vizier,  in  the  Mosque,  that  some  of 
his  servants  had  treated  him  brutally.  The  Vizier, 
instead  of  attending  to  his  complaint,  ordered  them 
to  do  their  work  a  second  time;  which  they  did, 
kicking  and  beating  him  with  their  slippers,  in  the 
most  ignominious  way,  before  all  the  Mosque.  This 
unhappy  people  groan  under  the  tyranny  of  their 
governors;  yet  nothing  subdues  or  tames  them. 
Happy  Europe  how  has  God  favored  all  the  sons  of 
Japheth,by  persuading  them  to  embrace  the  Gospel. 
How  dignified  are  all  the  nations  of  Europe  com- 
pared with  this  nation!  Yet  the  people  are  clever 
and  intelligent,  and  more  calculated  to  become  great 
and  powerful,  than  any  of  the  nations  of  the  East, 
had  they  a  good  Government,  and  the  Christian 
religion. 

"24-— 29.  The  Soofie,  son  of  the  Moojtuhid, 
with  some  others,  came  to  see  me.  For  fifteen 
years  he    was   a  devout   Mahometan;    visited  the 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  395 

sacred  places,  and  said  many  prayers.  Finding  no 
benefit  from  austerities,  he  threw  up  Mahometanisni 
altogether,  and  attached  himself  to  the  Soofie  Mas- 
ter. 

"I  asked  him,  what  his  object  was,  all  that  time? 
He  said,  'he  did  not  know,  but  he  was  unhappy.'  I 
began  to  explain  to  him  the  Gospel,  but  he  cavilled 
at  it,  as  much  as  any  bigotted  Mahometan  could  do,^ 
and  would  not  hear  of  there  being  any  distinction 
between  Creator  and  creature.  In  the  midst  of  our 
conversation,  the  sun  went  down,  and  the  company 
vanished.* 

"Aga  Baba  was  also  for  many  years  a  zealous  Ma- 
hometan, often  passing  whole  nights  in  prayer.  His 
father,  who  had  at  first  encouraged  his  religious  pro- 
pensities, found  them  at  last  so  troublesome,  that  he 
was  obliged  to  leave  the  house,  not  being  able  to  get 
sleep  for  the  noise  his  son  made  in  prayer.  Finding, 
after  many  years,  that  he  was  growing  more  and 
more  proud  and  contemptuous,  he  could  ascribe  it 
to  nothing  but  his  prayers,  and  therefore,  from  pure 
conscientious  motives,  left  them  off. 

"Jaffier  Aii  Khan  was  also  once  a  great  sayer  of 
prayers,  and  regularly  passed  every  afternoon,  for 
fourteen  years,  in  cursing  the  worshippers  of  Omar, 
according  to  a  prescribed  form;  but  perceiving  that 
these  zealous  maledictions  brousfht  no  blessing:  to 
himself,   he  left   them  off,  and  now  just  prays  for 

♦Tkii  was  for  the  purpose  of  taking  an  imraediate  repast. 


396  MEMOIR    OF 

form's  sake.  His  wife  says  her  prayers  regularly 
five  times  a  day,  and  is  always  up  before  sun-rise, 
for  the  first  prayer. 

"Mirza  Seid  Ali  seems  sometimes  coming  round 
to  Christianity,  against  Soofeism.  The  Soofies  be- 
lieve in  no  prophet,  and  do  not  consider  Moses  a3 
equal  to  Mirza  Abulcasim. — 'Could  they  be  brought,' 
Seid  Ali  says,  'to  believe  there  has  been  a  prophet, 
they  would  embrace  Christianity.'  And  what  w^ould 
be  gained  by  such  converts?  'Thy  people  shall  be 
willing  in  the  day  of  thy  power.'  It  will  be  an 
afflicted  and  poor  people  that  shall  call  upon  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  and  such  the  Soofies  are  not: 
professing  themselves  to  be  wise,  they  have  become 
fools. 

"Oct.  1. — Thousands  every  day  assemble  at  the 
Mosque;  it  is  quite  a  lounge  with  them.  Each,  as 
soon  as  he  has  said  his  prayers,  sits  down  and  talks 
to  his  friend.  Tlie  multitude  press  to  hear  Hagi 
Mahomed  Hasan.  One  day  they  thronged  him  so 
much,  that  he  made  some  error  in  his  prostrations. 
This  put  him  into  such  a  passion,  that  he  swore  that 
Omar's  curse  might  come  upon  him,  if  he  preached 
to  them  again.  However,  a  day  or  two  after,  he 
thought  better  of  it.  This  preacher  is  famous  for 
letting  out  his  money  to  interest;  and,  therefore,  in 
spite  of  his  eloquence,  he  is  not  very  popular. 
About  two  years  ago,  Shekh  Jaffier  came  here  and 
preached.  'The  Persians  are  all  murderers!  adul- 
terers!'   'What  docs  the  Shekh  mcan.'^'  said  his  fol- 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  397 

lowers.  'Why,'  said  he,  'the  Persians  take  usury; 
and  he  that  does  that,  is  worse  than  a  murderer  or 
adulterer.' 

"7. — I  was  surprised  by  a  visit  from  the  great 
Scofie  Doctor,  who,  while  most  of  the  people  were 
asleep,  came  to  me  for  some  wine.  I  plied  him 
with  questions  innumerable;  but  he  returned  noth- 
ing but  incoherent  answers,  and  sometimes  no  an- 
swer at  all. — Having  laid  aside  his  turban,  he  put  on 
his  night-cap,  and  soon  fell  asleep  upon  the  carpet. 
Whilst  he  lay  there,  his  disciples  came,  but  would 
not  believe,  when  1  told  them  who  was  there,  till 
they  came  and  saw  the  sage  asleep.  When  he 
awoke,  they  came  in,  and  seated  themselves  at  the 
greatest  possible  distance,  and  were  all  as  still  as  in 
a  church. 

"The  real  state  of  this  man  seems  to  be  despair, 
and  it  is  well  if  it  does  not  end  in  madness.  I 
preached  to  him  the  Kingdom  of  God:  mentioning, 
particularly,  how  I  had  found  peace  from  the  Son 
of  God  and  the  Spirit  of  God;  through  the  first, 
forgiveness;  through  the  second,  sanctification.  He 
said  it  was  good,  but  said  it  with  the  same  unconcern 
with  which  he  admits  all  manner  of  things,  howev- 
er contradictory.    Poor  soul!  he  is  sadly  bewildered. 

"At  a  garden,  called  Shah  Chiragh,  in  which  is 
the  tomb  of  a  brother  of  one  of  the  Imans,  who 
was  killed  on  the  spot,  a  miracle  is  wrought  every 
Ramazan.  The  Mootuwuhi,  or  proprietor  of  the 
garden,  in  whose  family  it  has  been  for  ages,  finds 
51 


39S  MEMOIR    OF 

its  supposed  sanctity  abundantly  protitable,  as  he  is 
said  to  make  2,000/.  a  year  of  it.  To  keep  alive  the 
zeal  of  the  people,  who  make  their  offerings  there 
every  day,  he  procures  a  villager,  who  is  at  first 
sick,  and  crying  to  Ali  for  help;  and  then,  on  the  ap- 
pointed day,  recovers.  This  year  a  man  was  recov- 
ered of  the  palsy,  and  our  servants  came  full  of  it. 
Though  this  farce  is  played  off  every  year,  the  sim- 
pletons are  never  undeceived.  Presents  of  sheep, 
fowls,  sweetmeats,  money,  flowed  in  upon  the  Moo- 
tuwulli,  who  skilfullv  turned  all  to  the  best  advan- 
tage.  Those  who  wished  to  see  the  man's  face, 
were  to  pay  so  much;  those  who  vi^ere  anxious  to 
touch  him,  were  to  pay  so  much  more;  and  so  on. 

"Two  days  in  the  Ramazan,  tragedies  were  act- 
ed at  our  house,  in  the  women's  court.  Two  or 
three  men,  dressed  in  the  Khan's  court  robes,  spout- 
ed and  sung  for  an  hour,  before  an  immense  con- 
course of  women,  all  veiled.  The  subject,  the  first 
day,  was  the  death  of  Mahomet;  the  second,  that 
of  I  man  Hosyn. 

'48. — The  Ramazan  ended,  or  ought  to  have 
ended,  but  the  moon  disappointed  them.  The 
Moollahs,  not  having  seen  the  new  moon,  would  not 
allow  the  fast  to  be  over,  and  the  people  were,  in 
consequence,  all  in  confusion;  for  not  having  eaten 
in  the  night,  they  were  not  at  all  disposed  to  go 
through  the  day  fasting.  At  last  some  witnesses 
appeared,  who  vowed  they  had  seen  the  silver  bow. 
These  were  from  the  Prince;  but  the  Moollahs  said 


REY.    HENRY    MARTYN.  399 

they  would  not  admit  them  till  seventy-two  of  the 
same  kind  bore  the  same  testimony.  This  was  no 
great  number  for  a  Prince  to  produce;  so  the  seven- 
ty-two appeared,  and  the  feast  was  proclaimed." 

Towards  the  end  of  November,  great  progress 
having  been  made  in  the  Persian  translation  of  the 
New  Testament,  Mr.  Martyn  ordered  two  splendid 
copies  of  it  to  be  prepared,  designing  to  present  the 
one  to  the  King  of  Persia;  and  the  other  to  Prince 
Abbas  Mirza,  his  son.  It  being  now  also  his  fixed 
intention  to  pass  the  winter  at  Shiraz,  he  resolved  to 
commence  another  eminently  useful,  and  to  him  most 
delightful,  work — a  version  of  the  Psalms  of  David, 
into  Persian,  from  the  original  Hebrew.  The 
Divine  Songs  of  Sion  became  thus  the  subject  of  his 
critical  examination,  close  meditation,  and  frequent 
prayer;  and  whilst  engaged  in  this  sacred  employ- 
ment, often  did  he  find  his  soul  elevated,  and  his 
Bpirit  refreshed,  "in  a  strange  land." 

The  events  of  the  last  month  of  the  year  stand 
thus  recorded  in  his  Journal. 

"Dec.  3. — Attended  the  lecture  of  Aga  Mahomed 
Hasan.  He  read  and  commented  on  three  books 
of  metaphysics,  and  at  intervals  conversed  with  me. 
Amongst  other  things,  we  discussed  the  cause  of  the 
ascent  of  a  light  body  in  a  fluid.  Our  argument 
came,  at  Last,  to  this — -that  if  one  particle  of  fluid  were 
on  another,  it  would,  from  its  gravity,  move  ever 
horizontally  ofl*,  in  order  to  be  nearer  the  centre. 
']f.'  said  he,  'a  body  can  move  towards  the  centra 


400  JVflEMOIR   OP 

only  dlrcctlj',  how  do  you  account  for  its  falling  down 
an  inclined  plane?'  I  began  to  explain  the  composition 
and  resolution  of  forces,  but  some  disciples  coming  in, 
he  could  not  stay  to  hear  what  1  had  to  say,  but 
went  on  with  his  lecture.  At  one  time  he  asked  me 
some  questions  about  genera  and  species. 

'^6. — Aga  Boozong,  and  his  disciple,  Aga  Ali,  a 
Mede,  came,  and  sat  many  hours.  The  former, 
from  love  to  the  Gospel,  as  he  said,  desired  a  friend 
at  Isfahan  to  send  him  Luke's  Gospel,  translated 
from  the  Arabic.  He  asked  me  about  the  Trinity, 
and  said,  'that  for  himself,  he  had  no  objection  to 
the  doctrine.'  So  say  all  the  Soofies,  but  they  will 
only  concede  to  Jesus,  a  nature,  which  they  conceive 
to  belong  to  all  the  Prophets,  and  all  the  illumined. 
He  stated  his  sentiments:  I  asked  for  reasons,  but 
asked  in  vain.  'Proofs,'  he  said,  'were  cobwebs — a 
breath  broke  them:  nothing  but  a  divine  teacher 
could  make  known  the  mystery.'  Aga  Ali,  in  order 
to  prove  to  me  that  proofs  were  nothing,  adduced 
the  instance  of  Matthew  the  publican,  who  rose  at 
the  call  of  Christ,  w^ithout  seeing  a  miracle.  They 
were  fond  of  producing  what  they  knew  of  the  Gos- 
pel, in  confirmation  of  their  mystic  themes.-  The 
Atonement  they  would  not  hear  of,  because  the 
Mahometans  pretended,  in  the  same  v.ay,  that  Ho- 
syn  w^as  sacrificed  for  the  sins  of  men.  Thus  Satan 
has  contrived  Mahometanism  witii  more  craft  than 
at  hrst  appears:  fcr  the  impostor  of  Mecca,  by 
making  common  cause  with  the  Prophets  of  God, 


REY.    HENRY    MARTYN.  401 

has  taken  care,  that  if  any  forsake  him,  they  shall 
at  the  same  time,  forsake  the  messengers  of  God; 
of  whom  they  know  nothing  but  just  what  he  tells 
tliem — which  is  far  enough  from  the  truth. 

"8. — The  Soofies  breakfasted  with  me.  Aga 
Boozong  talked  dogmatically  about  the  unity  of  all 
being,  and  quoted  large  portions  from  the  Munari  of 
Mouluwee  Room.  Another  part  of  the  conversa- 
tion was  about  India. — The  vSoofies  consider  all  the 
Brahmins  as  philosophers  of  the  same  school  w^ith 
themselves.  One  of  them  asked  me  gravely,  'wheth- 
er [  had  met  with  any  in  whom  was  the  Holy  Ghost?' 
This,  he  supposed,  was  only  the  way  of  expressing 
what  they  meant  by  being  enlightened. 

"12. — Letters  at  last  from  India. — Mirza  Seid 
AH  was  curious  to  know  in  what  way  we  corres- 
ponded, and  made  me  read  Mr.  Brown's  letter  to 
me,  and  mine  to  Corrie.  He  took  care  to  let  his 
friends  knoAV  that  w^e  wrote  nothing  about  our  own 
affairs.  It  was  all  about  translations  and  the  cause 
of  Christ:  Avith  this  he  was  delighted. 

"16. — In  translating  2  Cor.  i.  'Given  the  earnest 
of  the  Spirit  in  our  hearts,'  he  was  much  struck 
when  it  was  explained  to  him.  'O  that  I  had  it,' 
said  he;  'have  you  received  it.'^'  I  told  him,  that  as 
I  had  no  doubt  of  my  acceptance  through  Christ,  I 
concluded  that  I  had.  Once  before,  on  the  words, 
'who  are  saved,'  he  expressed  his  surprise  at  the 
confidence  with  which  Christians  spoke  of  salvation. 
On  1  Cor.  xi,  he  observed,  'that  the  doctrine  of  the 


402  MEMOIR    OF 

resurrection  of  the  body  was  not  so  unreasonable, 
but  that  as  the  Mahometans  understood  it,  it  was 
impossible,  on  which  account  the  Soofies  rejected  it.' 

"Christmas-daj. — I  made  a  great  feast  for  the 
Russians  and  Armenians,  and,  at  Jaffier  AH  Khan's 
request,  invited  the  Soofie  Master,  with  his  disciples. 
I  hoped  there  would  be  some  conversation  on  the 
occasion  of  our  meeting,  and  indeed  Mirza  Seid  Ali 
did  make  some  attempts,  and  explained  to  the  old 
man  the  meaning  of  the  Lord's  Supper;  but  the 
sage  maintaining  his  usual  silence,  the  subject  was 
dropped. 

"I  expressed  my  satisfaction  at  seeing  them  as- 
sembled on  such  an  occasion,  and  my  hope  that 
they  would  remember  the  day  on  succeeding  years; 
and  that  though  they  would  never  see  me  again  on 
succeeding  years,  that  they  would  not  forget  that  I  had 
brought  them  the  Gospel.  The  old  man  coldly  re- 
plied, 'that  God  would  guide  those  whom  he  chose.' 
Most  of  the  time  they  continued  was  before  dinner; 
the  moment  that  was  despatched,  they  rose  up,  and 
went  away.  The  custom  is,  to  sit  five  or  six  hours 
before  dinner,  and  at  great  men's  houses  singers 
attend. 

"27. — Carapet  invited  me  this  evening  to  his 
wedding;  but  just  before  the  guests  were  to  have 
assembled,  the  Darogha's  servants  seized  his  father- 
in-law,  and  carried  him  away  to  be  bastinadoed,  or 
else  to  pay  five  hundred  piastres.  It  seems  he  had 
given  a  bond  to  that  amount,  in  case  he  ever  sold 


REV.    HENRY    MARTTN.  403 

wine  to  Mahometans,  and  yesterday  he  was  de- 
tected in  the  act.  Jaffier  Ah  Khan  wrote,  in  my 
name,  to  the  Vizier,  to  request  his  release.  The 
Vizier  rephed,  that  Carapet,  for  my  sake^  should 
not  be  molested,  but  that  the  other  man  had  forfeit- 
ed his  money,  and,  in  evidence,  sent  his  bond.  Find- 
ing that  it  was  not  a  piece  of  villainy  on  the  part  of 
Government,  as  I  apprehended,  I  declined  having 
any  thing  to  do  in  the  business;  the  law  might  take 
its  course.  But  Jaffier  Ali  Khan  begged  as  a  favor 
of  the  servant  of  the  Vizier,  who  had  formerly  been 
a  servant  of  his,  to  represent  the  matter  in  such  a 
light  to  his  master,  as  to  excite  his  compassion. 
After  he  was  gone  away,  the  Armenians  came  in 
great  numbers,  and  begged  I  would  procure  the 
pardon  of  the  poor  man,  and  had  obtained  a  promise 
from  me  to  this  effect,  when  the  servant  came  back 
with  the  poor  Greek,  and  said,  that  the  Vizier  had 
released  him,  and  forgiven  him  the  forfeit,  for  my 
sake.  The  Armenians  were  in  ecstasies  of  joy,  and 
did  not  know  how  enough  to  express  their  gratitude 
to  me,  though  it  was  rEither  due  to  Jaffier  Ali  Khan. 
I  was  unable  to  attend  the  wedding  from  a  cough, 
which  made  it  unsafe  to  be  out  at  night.  They  sat 
up  all  night,  according  to  the  Armenian  custom, 
eating  and  drinking,  and  about  two  hours  before 
day  went  to  Churcli,  where  the  marriage  was  sol- 
emnized: the  feasting  continues  two  days  longer. 

"On   the   strength   of    the    narrow   escape    the 
Greek  experienced,  some  of  the  Vizier's  servant? 


404  MMOIR    OF 

came,  the  day  after,  to  feast  themselves  at  his  ex- 
pense. They  iirst  called  for  a  calean,  which  was 
brought  them;  then  for  the  wine  he  had  promised 
them,  though  he  had  promised  none.  This  un- 
fortunate people  have  been  visited  almost  like  the 
Jews.  When  will  the  Lord  pity  them!  An  Ar- 
menian, if  he  gets  a  new  coat,  makes  the  sleeves 
of  patches,  as  he  will  be  sure  to  have  it  taken  from 
him  if  it  looks  new.  Carapet  was  insulted,  for 
being  a  little  better  dressed  than  they  thought  a 
Christian  ought  to  be. 

''31. — The  accounts  of  the  desolations  of  war 
during  the  last  year,  w^hich  I  have  been  reading  in 
some  Indian  newspapers  make  the  world  appear, 
more  gloomy  than  ever.  How  many  hurried  into 
eternity  unprepared!  How  many  thousands  of  wid- 
ows and  orphans  left  to  mourn!  But  admire,  my  soul, 
the  matchless  power  of  God,  that  out  of  this  ruin 
he  has  prepared  for  Himself  an  inheritance.  At 
last  the  scene  shall  change,  and  I  shall  find  myself 
in  a  world  where  all  is  love." 

The  early  part  of  the  year  1812,  that  year  in  which 
Mr.  Martyn  "rested  from  his  labors,"  and  "found 
himself  in  a  world  where  all  was  love,  was  ushered 
in  by  him  in  the  following  strain  of  singular  pathos 
and  piety:  "The  last  has  been,  in  some  respects,  a 
memorable  year.  I  have  been  led,  by  what  I  have 
reason  to  consider  as  the  particular  providence  of 
God,  to  this  place,  and  undertaken  an  important 
work,  which  has  gone  on  without  material  interrup- 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  405 

tioii,  and  Is  now  nearly  finished.  I  like  to  find  m}  self 
employed  usefully,  in  a  way  I  did  not  expect  or  lore- 
see,  especially  if"  my  own  will  is  in  any  degree  cross- 
ed by  the  work  unexpectedly  assigned  me;  as  there  is 
then  reason  to  believe  that  God  is  acting.  The 
present  year  will  probably  be  a  perilous  one;  but 
my  life  is  of  little  consequence,  whether  I  live  to 
finish  the  Persian  New  Testament,  or  do  not.  I 
look  back  with  pity  and  shame  upon  my  former  self, 
when  I  attached  importance  to  my  life  and  labors. 
The  more  1  see  of  my  works,  the  more  I  am  ashamed 
of  them.  Coarseness  and  clumsiness  mar  all  the 
works  of  man.  I  am  sick,  when  I  look  at  man,  and 
his  wisdom,  and  his  doings,  and  am  relieved  only  by 
reflecting,  that  we  have  a  city,  whose  builder  and 
maker  is  God.  The  least  of  his  works  here  it  is  re- 
freshing to  look  at.  A  dried  leaf,  or  a  straw,  makes 
me  feel  myself  in  good  company:  complacency  and 
admiration  take  place  of  disgust. 

"I  compare,  with  pain,  our  Persian  translation 
with  the  original;  to  say  nothing,  of  the  precision 
and  elegance  of  the  sacred  text,  its  perspicuity  is 
that  which  sets  at  defiance  all  attempts  to  equal  it." 

In  the  succeeding  portion  of  Mr.  Martyn's  Jour- 
nal, we  are  presented  with  a  statement,  whence  it  is 
scarcely  possible  not  to  infer  that  the  civil  govern- 
ment of  Persia  is  in  a  condition  of  extreme  weakness 
and  wretchedness. 

"15. — I  went  with  Jaffier  Ali  Khan,  to  see   the 
College.     It  is  aluiost  in  ruins,  not  having  been  re- 
52 


406  MEMOIR    OF 

paired  these  two  hundred  years.  It  contains  sixty 
or  seventy  sets  of  rooms,  in  many  of  which  we  ob- 
served teachers  and  scholars,  giving  and  hearing 
lectures.  It  was  formerly  richly  endowed:  but  the 
rapacity  of  the  Kings  has  stripped  it  of  every  thing; 
only  a  small  stipend  was  allowed  to  the  principal 
teachers.  Near  it  is  an  octagonal  caravansara, 
where  goods  were  formerly  exposed  to  sale,  and  a 
tax  levied,  which  was  appropriated  to  the  College, 
but  this  is  nearly  gone.  The  way  of  laying  out 
money  at  this  time,  is  to  build  a  caravansara,  for 
merchants  to  lodge  their  goods  in,  and  expose  them 
to  sale.  In  this  way  they  make  about  fifteen  per 
cent.;  but  these  ware-houses  are  heavily  taxed  by 
Government. 

"We  called  on  several  people;  among  the  rest, 
on  Mirza  Abulcasim  Kalanter,  a  man  of  large  land- 
ed property,  who  was  very  courteous.  Conversa- 
tion, as  usual,  about  the  happiness  of  India  and  Eng- 
land. 

"We  called  on  Aga  Boozong,  an  old  man  of  nine- 
ty, whose  house,  or  rather  college,  is  an  asylum;  for 
he  is  so  venerated,  that  even  the  Vizier  dare  not 
drag  an  offender  thence.  A  poor  ragged  fellow 
came  while  we  were  there,  and  said  the  Vizier  had 
sent  him.  'Go  and  tell  the  Vizier,'  said  he,  'to 
knock  his  head  against  the  pavement,  and  not  send 
such  messages  to  me.' 

"A  poor  blind  man,  we  met  begging,  the  Khan 
pointed  out  to  me,  as  one  who  formerly  was  a  gen- 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  407 

era),  and  one  of  Kureen  Khan's  family;  but,  by  a 
change  of  dynasty,  had  lost  his  eyes.  Nobody  took 
any  notice  of  him." 

Who  can  read  some  of  the  ensuing  remarks  with- 
out discovering  how  abundantly  those  words  of  our 
Savior  were  verified  in  Mr.  Martyn — "neither  pray 
I  for  these  alone,  but  for  them  also  which  shall  be- 
lieve on  me  through  their  word.  That  they  all 
may  be  one,  as  thou  Father  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee, 
that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us,  that  the  world  may 
beheve  that  thou  hast  sent  me."  John  xvii,  20,  21. 

"16, — Mirza  Seid  AH  told  me  accidentally,  to-day, 
of  a  distich  made  by  his  friend  Mirza  Koochut,  at 
Tehran,  in  honor  of  a  victory  obtained  by  Prince 
Abbas  Mirza,  over  the  Russians.  The  sentiment 
was,  that  he  had  killed  so  many  of  the  Christians, 
that  Christ,  from  the  fourth  heaven,  took  hold  of 
Mahomet's  skirt,  to  intreat  him  to  desist.  I  was 
cut  to  the  soul  at  this  blasphemy.  In  prayer,  I 
could  think  of  nothing  else  but  that  great  day  when 
the  Son  of  God  should  come  in  the  clouds  of  heaven, 
taking  vengeance  on  them  that  know  not  God,  and 
convince  men  of  all  their  hard  speeches  which  they 
have  spoken  against  him. 

"Mirza  Seid  Ali  perceived  that  I  was  considera- 
bly disordered,  and  was  sorry  for  having  repeated 
the  verse,  but  asked,  what  it  was  that  was  so  offen- 
sive? I  told  him,  'I  could  not  endure  existence,  if 
Jesus  was  not  glorified;  that  it  v*^ould  be  hell  to  me, 
if  he  were  to  be  always  thus  dishonored.'     He  was 


403  Memoir   op 

astonished,  and  again  asked  Avhy?  'If  any  one  pluck 
out  your  eyes  (I  replied,)  there  is  no  saying  why 
you  feel  pain — it  is  feeling.  It  is  because  I  am  one 
with  Christ  that  I  am  thus  dreadfully  wounded.' 
On  his  again  apologizing,  I  told  him,  'that  I  rejoiced 
at  Avhat  had  happened,  inasmuch  as  it  made  me 
feel  nearer  the  Lord  than  ever.  It  is  when  the 
head  or  heart  is  struck,  that  every  member  feels  Its 
membership.'  This  conversation  took  place  while 
we  were  translating.  In  the  evening,  he  mentioned 
the  circumslance  of  a  young  man's  being  murdered — 
a  fine  athletic  youth,  whom  I  had  often  seen  in  the 
garden.  Some  acquaintance  of  his,  in  a  slight  quar- 
rel, plunged  a  dagger  in  his  breast.  Observing  me 
look  sorrowful,  he  asked  why.  'Because,'  said  I, 
'he  was  cut  off  in  his  sins,  and  had  no  time  to  repent.' 
'It  is  just  in  that  way,'  said  he,  'that  I  should  like  to 
die;  not  dragging  out  a  miserable  existence  on  a 
sick  bed,  but  transported  at  once  to  another  state.' 
I  observed,  'It  was  not  desirable  to  be  hurried  into 
the  immediate  presence  of  God.'  'Do  you  think,' 
said  he,  'that  there  is  any  difference  between  the 
presence  of  God  here  and  there?'  'Indeed  I  do,' 
said  I.  'Here  we  see  through  a  glass  darkly;  but 
there,  face  to  face.'  He  then  entered  into  some 
metaphysical  Soofie  disputation,  about  the  identity 
of  sin  and  hohness,  heaven  and  hell;  to  all  which  I 
made  no  reply." 

The  subjoined  conversation,  into  which  Mr.  Mar- 
tyn  was  led,  exhibits   the  ignorance  of  the  natural 


REV.  HENRY  MARTYN.  409 

man,  and  the  knowledge    of  the  spiritual  man,  in 
striking  contrast. 

"18. — Aga  Ah,  of  Media,  came,  and  with  him  and 
Mirza  Ah,  I  had  a  long  and  warm  discussion  about 
the  essentials  of  Christianity.  The  Mede,  seeing 
us  at  work  upon  the  Epistles,  said,  'he  should  be 
glad  to  read  them;  as  for  the  Gospels,  they  were 
nothing  but  tales,  which  w^ere  of  no  use  to  him;  for 
instance,  (said  he,)  if  Christ  raised  four  hundred 
dead  to  Yii'c,  what  is  that  to  me?'  I  said,  'It  cer- 
tainly was  of  importance,  for  his  works  were  a  rea- 
son for  our  depending  upon  his  words.  'Wliat  did 
he  say,'  asked  he,  'that  was  not  know^n  before: 
the  love  of  God,  humility — who  does  not  know 
these  things?'  'Were  these  things,'  said  I,  'known 
before  Christ,  either  among  Greeks  or  Romans, 
notw^ithstanding  their  pliilosophy?'  They  averred, 
that  the  Hindoo  book  Juh  contained  precepts  of  this 
kind.  I  questioned  its  antiquity;  'but,  however  that 
be,'  I  added,  'Christ  came  not  to  teach,  so  much  as 
to  die;  the  truths  I  spoke  of,  as  confirmed  by  his 
miracles,  were  those  relating  to  his  person,  such 
as — 'Come  unto  me,  all  that  labor  and  are  heavy 
laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest.'  Here  Mirza  vSeid 
Ali  told  him,  that  I  had  professed  to  have  no 
doubt  of  my  salvation.  He  asked,  what  I  meant? 
I  told  him,  'that  though  sin  still  remained,  I  w'as 
assured  that  it  should  not  regain  dominion;  and 
that  I  should  never  come  into  condemnation,  but 
w?s  accepted    in  the  beloved.'     Not  a  little  sur~ 


410  MEMOIR    OF 

prised,  he  asked  MIrza  Seid  Ali,  whether  he 
comprehended  this?  *No,'  said  he,  *nor  Mirza 
Ibraheem,  to  whom  I  mentioned  it.'  The  Mede, 
again  turning  to  me,  asked,  'How  do  jou  know 
this?  how  do  you  know  you  have  experienced  the* 
second  birth?'  'Because,'  said  I,  Hve  have  the 
Spirit  of  the  Father:  what  he  wishes,  we  wish; 
w^hat  he  hates,  we  hate.'  Here  he  began  to  be  a 
little  more  calm  and  less  contentious,  and  mildlv 
asked,  how  I  had  obtained  this  peace  of  mind? 
'Was  it  merely  these  books,'  said  he,  taking  up  some 
of  our  sheets.  I  told  him,  'These  books,  with 
prayer.'  'What  was  the  beginning  of  it?'  said  he, 
'the  society  of  some  friend?'  I  related  to  him  my 
religious  history,  the  substance  of  which  was,  that  I 
took  my  Bible,  before  God,  in  prayer,  and  prayed 
for  forgiveness  through  Christ,  assurance  of  it 
through  his  Spirit,  and  grace  to  obey  his  command- 
ments. They  then  both  asked,  whether  the  same 
benefit  would  be  conferred  on  them?  'Yes,'  said  I, 
*for  so  the  Apostles  preached,  that  all  who  were 
baptised  in  his  name,  should  receive  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.'  'Can  you  assure  me,'  said  Mirza  Seid 
Ali,  'that  the  Spirit  will  be  given  to  me;  if  so,  I 
will  be  baptised  immediately.'  'Who  am  I,  that  I 
should  be  surety?'  I  replied.  'I  bring  you  this  mes- 
sage from  God,  that  he  who,  despairing  of  himself, 
rests  for  righteousness  on  the  Son  of  God,  shall  re- 
ceive the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  and  to  this  I  can 
add  my  testimony,  if  that  be  worth  any  thing,  that 


REY.    HENRY    MARTYN.  411 

1  have  found  the  promise  fulfilled  in  myself.  But  if, 
after  baptism,  you  should  not  find  it  so  in  you,  accuse 
not  the  Gospel  of  falsehood — it  is  possible  that 
your  faith  might  not  be  sincere;  indeed,  so  fully  am 
I  persuaded  that  you  do  not  believe  on  the  Son  of 
God,  that  if  you  were  to  entreat  ever  so  earnestly 
for  baptism,  I  should  not  dare  to  administer  it  at 
this  time,  when  you  have  shewn  so  many  signs  of  an 
unhumbled  heart.'  'What,  would  you  have  me  be- 
lieve,' said  he,  'as  a  child?'  'Yes,'  said  I.  'True,' 
said  he,  'I  think  that  is  the  only  way.'  Aga  Ali 
said  no  more  but,  'certainly  he  is  a  good  man.'  " 

Shortly  after  this  discussion,  Mr.  Martyn  states 
himself  to  have  attended  a  public  exhibition  of  a  re- 
ligious kind. — The  reason  why  he  did  not  repeat  his 
attendance,  whether  well  grounded  or  not,  is  at  least 
a  proof  that  patriotic  feelings  in  his  mind  were  not 
extinguished  by  Christianity. 

"23. — Put  on  my  English  dress,  and  went  to  the 
Vizier's,  to  see  part  of  the  tragedy  of  Hosyn's  death, 
which  they  contrive  to  spin  out,  so  as  to  make  it 
last  the  ten  first  days  of  the  Mohurrun.  All  the 
apparatus,  consisted  of  a  few  boards  for  a  stage,  two 
tables,  and  a  pulpit,  under  an  immense  awning,  in  a 
court  where  the  company  were  assembled.  The 
dramatis  persomn^  were  two;  the  daughter  of  Hosyn, 
whose  part  was  performed  by  a  boy,  and  a  messen- 
ger: thoy  both  read  their  parts.     Every  now  and 

*  Characters  of  the  play. 


412  MEMOIR  OF 

then  loud  sobs  were  lieard  all  over  the  court.  Af- 
ter this,  several  feats  of  activity  were  exhibited 
before  the  talar,  where  the  Vizier  sat  with  the 
Mooilahs.  I  was  appointed  to  a  seat,  where  indeed 
I  saw  as  much  as  I  wanted,  but  which,  I  afterwards 
perceived,  was  not  the  place  of  honor.  As  I  trust 
lam  far  enough  from  wishing  the  chief  seat  in  the 
synagogues,  there  w^as  nothing  in  this  that  could 
offend  me;  but  I  do  not  think  it  right  to  let  him 
have  another  opportunity  of  shewing  a  slight  to  my 
country  in  my  person." 

Those  who  know  not  what  it  is  to  pass  a  dreary 
season  of  long  seclusion  from  Christian  society,  sur- 
rounded with  those  who  are  immersed  in  all  wick- 
edness, can  form  but  an  inadequate  comprehension 
of  the  sacrifices  to  which  Mr.  Martyn  submitted,  in 
continuing  so  great  a  length  of  time  at  Shiraz:  yet 
from  the  expression  of  sentiments  such  as  these,  we 
may,  in  some  measure,  see  what  he  endured. 

"Feb.  2. — From  w^hat  I  suffer  in  this  city,  I  can 
understand  the  feelings  of  Lot.  The  face  of  the 
poor  Russian  appears  to  me  like  the  face  of  an 
angel,  because  he  does  not  tell  lies.  Heaven  will 
be  heaven,  because  there  will  not  be  one  liar  tljere. 
The  word  of  God  is  more  precious  to  me  at  this 
time  than  I  ever  remembered  it  to  have  been;  and 
of  all  the  promises  in  it,  none  is  more  sweet  to  me 
than  this — 'He  shall  reign  till  he  hath  put  all  ene- 
mies under  his  feet.' 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  413 

"3. — A  packet  arrived  from  India,  without  a  sin- 
gle letter  for  me.  It  was  some  disappointment  to 
me;  but  let  me  be  satisfied  with  my  God,  and  if  I 
cannot  have  the  comfort  of  hearing  of  my  friends, 
let  me  return  with  thankfulness  to  his  word,  which 
is  a  treasure  of  which  none  envy  me  the  possession, 
and  where  I  can  find  what  will  more  than  compen- 
sate for  the  loss  of  earthly  enjoyments.  Resigna- 
tion to  the  will  of  God  is  a  lesson  which  I  must 
learn,  and  which  I  trust  he  is  teaching  me." 

"What  an  influence,  a  departure  from  the  pre- 
cepts of  the  Gospel,  has  upon  the  determination  of 
the  judgment,  with  respect  to  its  doctrines, — ap- 
pears in  the  representation  Mr.  Martyn  gives  of 
the  conduct  of  Mirza  Seid  Ali,  at  this  period. 

"4. — Mirza  Seid  Ah,  who  has  been  enjoying  him- 
self in  dissipation  and  idleness  these  two  days,  re- 
turned full  of  evil  and  opposition  to  the  Gospel. 

"Alluding  to  some  remarks  he  had  made,  'I  sup- 
pose,'said  he, 'you  think  it  is  sinful  to  sport  with  the 
characters  of  holy  men.'  'I  have  no  objection,'  I 
rephed,  'to  hear  your  sentiments,  but  I  cannot  bear 
to  have  any  thing  spoken  disrespectfully  of  the 
Lord  Jesus;  and  yet  there  is  not  one  of  you  Soofies 
but  has  said  something  against  him.'  'You  never 
heard  me  speak  lightly  of  Jesus,'  he  replied.  'No, 
there  is  something  so  awfully  pure  about  him,  that 
nothing  can  be  said.'  " 

Recovering  somewhat  of  a  more  serious  spirit, 
Seid  Ali  joined  with  Aga  Boozong,  whom  Mr.  Mar- 
53 


414  Memoir  oi-' 

tyn  describes  as  one  of  the  most  magisterial  of  the 
Soofies;  In  a  conversation,  In  which  a  real  desire  for 
religious  information  seems  to  have  been  indicated. 
The  daj  on  which  It  took  place  was  almost  entirely 
consumed  in  discussions  with  a  variety  of  visitors, 
respecting  the  Scriptures;  it  concluded  with  a  very 
pleasing  confession  on  the  part  of  Seid  Ah. 

"9. — Aga  Boozong  came.  After  much  conversa- 
tion, he  said,  'Prove  to  me,  from  the  beginning, 
that  Christianity  Is  the  way:  how  will  you  proceed? 
what  do  you  say  must  be  done?'  'If  you  would  not 
believe  a  person  who  wrought  a  miracle  before 
you,'  said  I,  'I  have  nothing  to  say:  I  cannot  pro- 
ceed a  step.'  'I  will  grant  you,'  said  Seid  All,  'that 
Christ  was  the  Son  of  God,  and  more  than  that.' 
'That  you  despair  of  yourself,  and  are  willing  to 
trust  in  him  alone  for  salvation?'  'Yes.'  'Wlllinor  to 
confess  Christ  before  men,  and  act  conformably  to 
his  word?'  'Yes:  what  else  must  I  do?'  'Be  baptis- 
ed in  the  name  of  Christ.'  'And  what  shall  I  gain?' 
'The  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  end  of  faith  Is 
salvation  in  the  world  to  come^  but  even  here  you 
shall  have  the  Spirit  purifying  the  heart,  and  giving 
you  the  assurance  of  everlasting  happiness.'  Thus 
Aga  Boozong  had  an  opportunity  of  hearing  those 
strange  things,  from  my  own  mouth,  of  which  he 
had  been  told  by  his  disciple,  the  Mede.  'You  can 
say,  too,'  said  he,  'that  you  have  received  the 
Spirit?'  I  told  them, 'I  believed  I  had;  for  notwith- 
standing all  my  sins,  the  bent  of  my  heart  was  to 


REY.    HENRY    MARTYN.  415 

God,  in  a  way  it  never  was  before;  that,  according 
to  mj  present  feelings,  I  could  not  be  happy  if  God 
was  not  glorified,  and  if  I  had  not  the  enjoyment  of 
his  presence,  for  which  I  felt  that  I  was  now  edu- 
cating.'    Aga  Boozong  shed  tears. 

"A  Russian  officer  coming  in  at  the  time,  the  sub- 
ject of  religion  was  dropped,  except  that  while 
Speaking  of  the  convicts  at  Calcutta,  whom  I  had 
seen  at  the  gaol,  Mirza  Seid  Ali  asked  me,  how  I 
addressed  them?  I  told  him,  I  cautioned  them 
against  despair,  assured  them  that  tliey  might  come 
at  the  eleventh  hour,  that  it  was  never  too  late  for 
mercy,  if  they  came  to  God  through  Christ. 

"After  this  came  Aga  Ali,  the  Mede,  to  hear,  as 
he  said,  some  of  the  sentences  of  Paul.  Mirza  Seid 
Ali  had  told  them,  'that  if  they  had  read  nothing 
but  the  Gospels,  they  knew  nothing  of  the  religion 
of  Christ.'  The  sheet  I  happened  to  have  by  me, 
was  the  one  containing  the  fourth,  fifth,  and  sixth 
chapters  of  2nd  Corinthians,  which  Aga  AH  read 
out 

"At  this  time  the  company  had  increased  consid- 
erably. I  desired  him  to  notice  particularly  the 
latter  part  of  the  fifth  chapter,  'God  was,  in  Christ, 
reconciling  the  world  unto  himself.'  He  then  read 
it  a  second  time,  but  they  saw  not  its  glory;  howev- 
er, they  spoke  in  high  terms  of  the  pith  and  solidity 
of  Paul's  sentences. 

"They  were  evidently  on  the  watch  for  any  thing 
that  tallied  with  their  own  sentiments.     Upon  the 


416  MEMOIR    OF 

passage — 'Always  bearing  about  in  the  body  the 
dying  of  the  Lord  Jesus,'  the  Mede  observed,  'Do 
you  not  see  that  Jesus  was  in  Paul,  and  that  Paul 
was  only  another  name  for  Jesus?'  'Whether  we 
be  beside  ourselves,  it  is  to  God;  and  whether  we 
be  sober,  it  is  for  your  sakes,'  they  interpreted 
thus: — 'We  are  absorbed  in  the  contemplation  of 
God,  and  when  we  recover,  it  is  to  instruct  you.' 

"Walking  afterwards  Avith  Mirza  Seid  Ali,  he 
told  me,  how  much  one  of  my  remarks  had  affected 
him,  viz*  that  he  had  no  humility.  He  had  been 
talking  about  simplicity  and  humility  as  character- 
istic of  the  Soofies.  'Humility!'  I  said  to  him,  'if 
you  were  humble,  you  w^ould  not  dispute  in  this 
manner;  you  would  be  like  a  child.'  He  did  not 
open  his  mouth  afterwards,  but  to  say,  'True;  I 
have  no  humility.'  In  evident  distress,  he  observ- 
ed, 'The  truth  is,  we  are  in  a  state  of  compound  ig- 
norance— ignorant,  yet  ignorant  of  our  ignorance." 

On  the  last  birth-day  Mr.  Martyn  lived  to  com- 
memorate, we  find  him  speaking  in  affecting  terms 
with  respect  to  his  privations  as  a  Missionary,  yet 
expressing  himself  with  ardent  and  humble  grati- 
tude— as  a  believer  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

"18. — While  walking  in  the  garden,  in  some  dis- 
order, from  vexation,  two  Mussulmen  Jews  came 
up,  and  asked  me  what  would  become  of  them  in 
another  world?  The  Mahometans  were  right  in 
their  way,  they  supposed,  and  we  in  ours?  but  what 
must  they  expect?    After  rectifying  their  mistake 


REV.    HENRY    MART^i^.  417 

as  to  the  Mahometans,  [  mentioned  two  or  three 
reasons  for  believing  that  Ave  are  right;  such  as 
their  dispersion,  and  the  cessation  of  sacrifices,  im- 
mediately on  the  appearance  of  Jesus.  'True,  true,' 
they  said,  with  great  feehng  and  seriousness;  indeed, 
they  seemed  disposed  to  yield  assent  to  any  thing  I 
said.  They  confessed  they  had  become  Mahome- 
tans only  on  compulsion;  and  that  Abdoolghunee 
wished  to  go  to  Bagdad,  thinking  he  might  throw 
off  the  mask  there  with  safety — but  asked,  what  I 
thought?  I  said,  'the  Governor  was  a  Mahometan.' 
'Did  I  think  vSyria  safer?'  'The  safest  place  in  the 
East,'  I  said,  'was  India.'  Feelings  of  pity  for  God's 
ancient  people,  and  the  awful  importance  of  eternal 
things,  impressed  on  my  mind  by  the  seriousness  of 
their  inquiries  as  to  what  w^ould  become  of  them, 
relieved  me  from  the  pressure  of  my  comparatively 
insignificant  distresses.  I,  a  poor  Gentile,  blest,  hon- 
ored, and  loved;  secured  for  ever  by  the  everlasting 
covenant,  whilst  the  Children  of  the  Kingdom  are 
still  lying  in  outward  darkness!  Well  does  it  become 
me  to  be  thankful. 

''This  is  my  birth  day,  on  which  I  complete  my 
thirty-first  year.  The  Persian  New  Testament  has 
been  begun,  and  I  may  say  finished  in  it,  as  only  the 
last  eight  chapters  of  the  Revelations  remain.  Such 
a  pa.nful  year  I  never  passed,  owing  to  the  privations 
I  have  been  called  to,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  spec- 
tacle before  me  of  human  depravity,  on  the  other. 
But  I  hope  that  I  have  not  come  to  this  seat  of  Sa- 


418  MEMOIR   OF 

tan  in  vain.  The  Word  of  God  has  found  its  way 
into  Persia,  and  it  is  not  in  Satan's  power  to  oppose 
its  progress,  if  the  Lord  have  sent  it." 

The  effect  on  the  natural  conscience  of  a  plain 
and  solemn  declaration  of  some  awful  truths  of 
Scripture,  may  be  seen  in  the  case  of  one  of  Mr. 
Martyn's  visitors,  who  to  great  libertinism  of  prac- 
tice, added  extreme  latitudinarianism  of  principle.    . 

"23. — Aga  Neseer  came,  and  talked  most  cap- 
tiously and  irrelevantly  against  all  revealed  religioii. 
Three  years  ago,  he  had  thrown  off  the  shackles  of 
Mahomet,  and  advised  me  to  do  the  same  with  mr 
yoke.  I  told  him,  that  I  preferred  my  yoke  to  hie 
freedom.  He  was  for  sending  me  naked  into  a  Avil- 
derness;  but  I  would  rather  be  a  child,  under  the 
restraints  of  a  parent,  who  would  provide  me  witli 
food  and  clothing,  and  be  my  protector  and  guide. 
To  every  thing  I  said,  he  had  but  one  answer,  'God 
is  the  sole  agent,  sin  and  holiness^  happiness  and 
misery,  cause  and  effect,  are  all  perfectly  one.'  Find- 
ing him  determined  to  amuse  himself  in  this  waj,  I 
said,  'These  things  will  do  very  well  for  the  present, 
while  reclining  in  gardens  and  smoking  caleans,  but 
not  for  a  dying  hour.  How  many  years  of  life  re- 
main? You  are  about  thirty,  perhaps  thirty  more 
remain.  How  swiftly  have  the  last  thirty  pass- 
ed: how  soon  will  the  next  thirty  be  gone!  and 
then  we  shall  see.  If  you  are  right,  I  lose  nothing; 
if  I  am  right,  you  lose  your  soul.  Leaving  out  the 
consideration  of  all  religion,  it  is  probable  that  the 


REV.     HENRY    aiARTYN.  41^ 

next  world  may  be  a-kin  to  this,  and  our  relation  to 
both  not  dissimilar.  But  here  we  see  that  child- 
hood is  a  preparation  for  manhood,  and  that  neglect 
of  the  proper  employments  of  childhood  entails  mis- 
eries in  riper  years.'  The  thought  of  death,  and 
separation  from  his  pleasures,  made  him  serious;  or 
perhaps  he  thought  it  useless  to  press  me  with  any 
more  of  his  dogmas." 

On  the  24th  of  Feb.  1812,  the  last  sheet  of  the 
Persian  New  Testament  was  completed.  "I  have 
many  mercies,"  said  the  Author  of  this  great  work, 
"in  bringing  it  to  a  termination,  for  which  to  thank 
the  Lord,  and  this  is  not  the  least.  Now  may  that 
Spirit  who  gave  the  word,  and  called  me,  I  trust,  to 
be  an  interpreter  of  it,  graciously  and  powerfully  ap- 
ply it  to  the  hearts  of  sinners,  even  to  the  gathering 
an  elect  people  from  the  long  estranged  Persians !" 

The  version  of  the  Psalms  in  Persian,  "a  sweet 
employment,"  as  Mr.  Martyn  terms  it,  and  which, 
to  use  his  own  language,  "caused  six  weary  moons, 
that  waxed  and  waned  since  its  commencement,  to 
pass  unnoticed,"  was  finished  by  the  middle  of  the 
month  of  March. 

Mr.  Martyn  had  now  been  resident  for  the  space 
of  ten  months  at  Shiraz,  during  the  whole  of  which 
time  he  had  been  almost  incessantly  engaged,  as 
we  have  seen,  in  endeavorinof  to  reclaim  the  wretch- 
ed  race  of  infidels  around  him  from  the  error  of 
their  ways.  So  far  was  he  from  shrinking  from 
any  fair   opportunity   of   confessing  Christ   before 


420  iWEMOIR    OF 

men,  that  he  gladlj  embraced  and  boldly  sought 
out  every  occasion  of  avowmg  "whose  he  was,  and 
whom  he  served."  Nor  was  this  conduct  in  him 
the  fruit  of  a  contentious  spirit;  it  was  the  genuine 
offspring  of  that  heavenly  charity,  which,  ''rejoicing 
in  the  truth,"  is  ever  ready  "to  contend  earnestly 
for  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints."  No  one 
could  have  a  more  deep-rooted  antipathy  to  contro- 
versy, at  all  times,  and  with  all  persons,  than  Mr. 
Martyn:  a  paramount  regard  to  what  was  indispens- 
ably due  to  the  cause  of  his  Redeemer  alone  could 
induce  him  to  engage  in  it. 

One  public  argument  he  had  already  held  with 
the  chief  professor  of  Mahometan  Law;  a  second 
disputation,  of  a  similar,  but  far  more  decided  char- 
acter, he  was  led  to  enter  into  at  this  time,  with 
MiFza  Ibraheem.  The  scene  of  this  discussion  was 
a  court,  in  the  palace  of  one  of  the  Persian  Princes, 
where  a  numerous  body  of  Moollahs  were  collected, 
with  Mirza  Ibraheem  at  their  head.  In  this  assem- 
bly, Mr.  Martyn  stood  up,  as  the  single  advocate  of 
the  Cnristian  faith.  Fearing  God,  like  Micaiah^ 
the  son  of  Imlah,  he  feared  not  man.  In  the  midst 
therefore  of  a  Mahometan  conclave,  he  proclaimed 
and  maintained  that  prime  and  fundamental  article 
of  true  religion,  the  Divinity  of  the  Son  of  God. 

."On  the  2:3rd,"  Mr.  Martyn  writes,  "I  called  on 
the  Vizier,  afterwards  on  the  Secretary  of  the  Ker- 
manshah  Prince.     In  the  court,  where   he  received 

*  I  Kings  xxii 


RET.    HENRY   MARTYN.  421 

me,  MIrza  Ibraheem  was  lecturing.  Finding  my- 
self so  near  my  old  and  respectable  antagonist,  I  ex- 
pressed a  wish  to  see  him,  on  which  Jaffier  Ali 
Khan  went  up  to  ascertain  if  my  visit  would  be 
agreeable.  The  Master  consented,  but  some  of  the 
disciples  demurred.  At  last,  one  of  them  observing, 
'that,  by  the  blessing  of  God  on  the  Master's  con- 
versation, I  might  possibly  be  converted,'  it  was 
agreed  that  I  should  be  invited  to  ascend.  Then  it 
became  a  question,  where  I  ought  to  sit.  Below  all, 
would  not  be  respectful  to  a  stranger;  but,  above 
all  the  MooUahs,  could  not  be  tolerated.  I  entered, 
and  was  surprised  at  the  numbers.  The  room  was 
lined  with  Moollahs,  on  both  sides,  and  at  the  top. 
I  was  about  to  sit  down  at  the  door,  but  I  was  beck- 
oned to  an  empty  place  near  the  top,  opposite  to 
the  Master,  who,  after  the  usual  compliments,  with- 
out further  ceremony,  asked  me,  'what  we  meant 
by  calling  Christ — God?'  War  being  thus  unequivo- 
cally declared,  I  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  stand  upon 
the  defensive.  Mirza  Ibraheem  argued  temperately 
enough,  but  of  the  rest,  some  were  very  violent  and 
clamoroue.  The  former  asked,  'if  Christ  had  ever 
called  himself  God;  was  he  the  Creator,  or  a  area- 
tureP  I  replied,  'The  Creator.'  The  MooUahs 
looked  at  one  another.  Such  a  confession  had  never 
before  been  heard  among  Mahometan  Doctors. 

"One  Moollah  wanted  to  controvert  some  of  my 
illustrations,  by  interrogating  me  about  the  Person- 
ality of  Christ.     To  all  his  questions   [  replied,  by 
54 


422  MEMOIR     OF 

requesting  the  same  information  respecting  his  owit 
person. 

"To  anotlier,  who  was  rather  contemptuous  and 
violent,  I  said,  'If  you  do  not  approve  of  our  doc- 
trine, will  you  be  so  good  as  to  say  what  God  is  ac- 
cording to  you,  that  I  may  worship  a  proper  object?' 
One  said,  'The  author  of  the  universe.'  'I  can  form 
no  idea  from  these  words,'  said  I,  'but  of  a  work- 
man at  work  upon  a  vast  number  of  materials.  Is 
that  a  correct  notion?'  Another  said,  'One  who 
came  of  himself  into  being.'  'So  then  he  came,'  I 
replied;  'came  out  of  one  place  into  another;  and 
before  he  came,  he  was  not.  Is  this  an  abstract 
and  refined  notion?'  After  this  no  one  asked  me 
any  more  questions;  and  for  fear  the  dispute  should 
be  renewed,  Jaffier  Ali  Khan  carried  me  away." 

After  making  this  intrepid  and  memorable  confes- 
sion of  the  Divinity  of  our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus 
Christ,  when  he  might  be  described  as — 

"Faithful  found 
Among  the  faithless;  faithful,  only  he. 
Among  innumerable  false,  unmoved. 
Unshaken,  unseduced,  untei'rified-, 
His  loyalty  he  kept — his  zeal — his  love" — ■, 

Mr.  Martyn  continued  only  a  short  time  at  Shiraz, 
From  his  own  hand  we  have  this  brief  account  of 
that  interesting  period  which  immediately  preceded 
his  departure. 

"Mirza  Seid  Ali  never  now  argues  against  the 
tuuthj  nor  makes  any  remarks  but  of  a  serious  kind. 


REV.   HENRY    MARTYN.  423 

He  speaks  of  his  dislike  to  some  of  the  Soofies, 
on  account  of  their  falsehood  and  drunken  habits. 
This  approach  to  the  love  of  morality,  is  the  best 
sign  of  a  change  for  the  belter,  I  have  yet  seen  in 
hira.  As  often  as  he  produces  the  New  Testament, 
which  he  always  does  when  any  of  iiis  friends  come, 
his  brother  and  cousin  ridicule  him;  but  he  tells 
them,  that  supposing  no  other  benefit  to  have  been 
derived,  it  is  certainly  something  better  to  have 
gained  all  this  information  about  the  religion  of 
Christians,  than  to  have  loitered  away  the  year  in 
the  garden. 

"27. — Four  MooUahsjof  Mirza  Ibraheem's  school, 
came  to  dispute  against  European  philosophy^  and 
against  European  religion. 

'•Mirza  Seid  Ali  requested,  at  Mirza  Ibraheem's 
desire,  to  know  where  we  got  our  notions  concern- 
ing the  Holy  Spirit?  He,  for  his  part,  did  not  remem- 
ber aey  passages  in  the  New  Testament,  which  bore 
on  the  subject. — I  referred  them  to  the  second  chap- 
ter of  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians. 

"May  1 — 10.  Passed  some  days  at  Jaffier  All 
Khan's  garden,  with  Mirza  Seid  i^li,  Aga  Baba, 
Shekh  Abulhasan,  reading  at  their  request,  the  Old 
Testament  histories.  Their  attention  to  the  word, 
and  their  love  and  respect  to  me,  seemed  to  increase 
as  the  time  of  my  departure  approached. 

"Aga  Baba,  who  had  been  reading  St.  Matthew, 
related,  very  circumstantially,  to  the  company,  the 
particulars  of  the  death  of  Christ.     The  bed  of  roses* 


424  MEMOIR  or 

on  which  we  sat,  and  the  notes  of  the  nightingales 
warbhng  around  us,  were  not  so  sweet  to  me  as  this 
discourse  from  the  Persian. 

'•One  day  telhng  Mirza  Seid  Ah,  that  I  wished  to 
return  to  the  city  in  the  evening,  to  be  alone,  and  at 
leisure  for  prayer,  he  said  with  impression,  'though 
a  man  had  no  other  religious  society,  with  the  aid  of 
the  Bible,  he  may,  I  suppose,  live  alone,  with  God?' 
It  will  be  his  own  state  soon — mav  he  find  it  the 
medium  of  God's  gracious  communication  to  his  soul! 
He  asked  in  what  wav  God  ouj^ht  to  be  addressed, 
I  told  him  as  a  father,  with  respectful  love,  and  add- 
ed some  other  exhortations  on  the  subject  of  prayer. 

"11. — Aga  Baba  came  to  bid  me  farewell,  and 
he  did  it  in  the  best  and  most  solemn  way,  by  asking, 
as  a  final  question,  'whether,  independently  of  exter- 
nal evidences,  I  had  any  internal  proofs  of  the  doc- 
trine of  Christ?' — I  answered,  'Yes,  undoubtedly: 
the  change  from  what  I  once  w^as,  is  a  sufficient  evi- 
dence to  me.'  At  last  he  took  his  leave  in  great  sor- 
row, and  what  is  better,  apparently  in  great  solici- 
tude about  his  soul. 

'•The  rest  of  the  day  I  continued  with  Mirza  Seid 
Ali,  giving  him  in  charge  what  to  do  with  the  New 
Testament,  in  case  of  my  decease,  and  exhorting  him, 
as  far  as  his  confessions  allowed  me,  to  stand  fast. 
He  has  made  many  a  good  resolution  respecting  his 
besetting  sins.  I  hope,  as  well  as  pray,  that  some 
lasting  eflects  will  be  seen  at  Shiraz  from  the  word 
of  God  left  among  them." 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  425 

On  the  evening  of  the  24th  of  May,  one  year 
after  entering  Persia,  Mr.  Martyn  left  Shiraz,  in 
company  with  an  Enghsh  clergyman,  having  it  in 
intention  to  lay  before  the  King  his  translation  of 
the  New  Testament;  but  finding,  that  without  a 
letter  of  introduction  from  the  British  Ambassador, 
he  could  not,  consistently  with  established  usage, 
be  admitted  into  the  Royal  presence,  he  determined 
to  proceed  to  Tebriz,  where,  at  that  time.  Sir  Gore 
Ouseley,  his  Britannic  Majesty's  Minister,  resided. 

His  journey  from  Shiraz  to  Tebriz  was  not  accom- 
plished in  less  than  eight  Aveeks,  including  one  week 
spent  at  Isfahan,  and  a  few  days  at  the  King's 
camp, — and  the  latter  part  of  it  was  a  time  of 
great  and  unforeseen  suiTering  to  him.  Had  he 
known  to  what  peril  his  life  would  be  subjected, 
he  doubtless  would  have  deemed  his  object  of  too 
insufficient  a  magnitude  to  justify  his  exposing  him- 
self to  so  much  danger. 

"A  litde  before  sun-set,"  Mr.  Martyn  writes,  "I 
left  the  city,  and  at  ten  o'clock  at  night,  the  cafila 
started.  Thus  ended  my  stay  at  Shiraz.  No  year 
of  my  life  was  ever  spent  more  usefully,  thous^h 
such  a  long  separation  from  my  friends  was  often  a 
severe  trial. — Our  journey  to  Persepolis  was  per- 
formed in  ten  hours.  I  had  a  fall  from  my  horse 
by  the  saddle's  coming  off,  but  a  gracious  Providence 
preserved  me  from  harm. 

"12. — Staid  at  Futihabad,  a  village  about  a  par- 
asang  fro^  the  ruins. 


426  ME.^IOIR    OF 

*'13. — At  three  in  the  morning,  we  pursued  our 
way,  and  at  eight  reached  a  village  at  the  north- 
east extremity  of  the  plain  of  Persepolis.  Re- 
mained all  day  at  the  caravansara,  correcting  the 
Prince's  copy. 

"14. — Continued  our  journey  through  two  ridges 
of  mountains  to  Imanzadu:  no  cultivation  to  be  seen 
any  where,  nor  scarcely  any  natural  vegetable  pro- 
duction, except  the  broom  and  hawthorn.  The 
weather  was  rather  tempestuous,  with  cold  gusts  of 
wind  and  rain. 

"The  inhabitants  of  the  village,  this  being  the 
Imanzadu's  tomb,  do  no  work  and  pay  no  tax,  but 
are  maintained  by  the  surrounding  villages,  and  the 
casual  offerings  of  visitors  to  the  tomb.  The  cara- 
vansara being  in  ruins,  we  staid  all  this  rainy  day  at 
a  private  house,  where  we  were  visited  by  people 
who  came  to  be  cured  of  all  their  distempers. 

"15. — From  the  top  of  a  mountain,  just  behind 
Imanzadu,  we  descended  into  a  vast  plain,  entirely 
uninhabited,  except  where  the  skirts  of  it  were 
spotted  with  the  black  tents  of  the  wandering 
tribes.  Crossing  this  plain  obliquely,  we  passed 
over  a  mountain  into  another  plain,  where  was  the 
same  scene  of  desolation.  After  a  journey  of  ten 
parasangs,  arrived,  at  two  in  the  afternoon,  at  the 
<)aravansara  Khooshee  Zar,  which,  being  in  ruins, 
let  in  the  wind  upon  us,  at  night,  in  all  directions. 

"On  rising  on  the  morning  of  the  16th,  we  found 
a  hoar  frost,  and  ice  on  the  pools.     The  excessive 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  42 T 

cold  at  this  place  is  accounted  for  by  its  being  the 
highest  land  between  the  Persian  Gulf  and  the 
Caspian  Sea.  The  baggage  not  having  come  up 
we  were  obliged  to  pass  another  day  in  this  uncom- 
fortable neighborhood,  where  nothing  was  to  be 
procured  for  ourselves  or  horses;  the  little  rain 
this  year  having  left  the  ground  destitute  of  ver- 
dure, and  the  poor  village  near  us  having  nothing 
to  sell. 

"17. — Our  way,  to  day,  along  the  same  plain;  on 
the  left  was  a  ridge  of  hills  covered  with  snow. 
Entering  another  plain,  into  which  the  former  led, 
we  reached  a  caravansara,  near  a  small  w^alled  vil- 
lage, called  Dih  Serdoo. 

"18. — After  a  journey,  of  much  the  same  length, 
over  uneven  ground,  w^here  the  view  w^as  much 
obstructed,  we  arrived  at  a  caravansara,  in  a  great 
cleft,  which  divides  Fars  from  Irak.  * 

"19. — Moved  six  parasangs  to  a  private  house  at 
Mujrood.  The  plain,  as  usual,  uninhabited;  but  we 
passed  one  village. 

"20. — Continued  our  march,  in  the  same  plain,  to 
Comesha,  four  parasangs. 

^'21. — To  Mygar,  five  parasangs. — Finished  the 
revision  of  the  Prince's  copy.  At  eleven  at  night 
we  set  off  for  Isfahan,  and  arrived,  soon  after  sun- 
rise, on  the  22nd,  and  were  accommodated  in  one  of 
the  King's  palaces.  Found  my  old  Shiraz  scribe 
here,  and  corrected,  with  him,  the  Prince's  cjopy. 


423  MEMOIR    OP 

"23. — Called  on  the  Armenian  Bishops  at  Julfa, 
and  met  Matteus.  He  is  certainly  vastly  superior 
to  any  Armenian  I  have  yet  seen.  We  went,  next, 
to  the  Italian  Missionary,  Joseph  Carabiciate,  a  na- 
tive of  Aleppo,  but  educated  at  Rome.  He  spoke 
Latin;  was  very  sprightly,  considering  his  age,  which 
w^as  sixty-six,  but  discovered  no  sort  of  inclination  to 
talk  about  religion.  Until  lately,  he  had  been  sup- 
ported by  the  Propaganda;  but  weary,  at  last,  of 
exercising  his  functions  without  remuneration,  and 
even  without  necessary  provisions,  he  talks  of  re- 
turning to  Aleppo. 

"24. — (Sunday.) — Went,  early  this  morning,  to 
the  Armenian  Church,  attached  to  the  Episcopal 
residence.  Within  the  rails  were  two  out  of  the 
four  Bishops,  and  other  Ecclesiastics,  but  in  the 
body  of  the  Church,  only  three  people.  Most  of 
the  Armenians  at  Julfa,  which  is  now  reduced  to 
five  hundred  houses,  attend  at  their  respective 
parish  churches,  of  which  there  are  twelve,  served 
by  twenty  priests.  After  their  pageantry  was  over, 
and  we  were  satiated  with  processions,  ringing  of 
bells,  waving  of  colors,  and  all  the  other  ceremonies, 
which  were  so  numerous  as  entirely  to  remove  all 
semblance  of  pious  worship:  we  were  condemned  to 
witness  a  repetiton  of  the  same  mockery  at  the  Ital- 
ian's Church,  at  his  request.  I  could  not  stand  it 
out,  but  those  who  did,  observed,  that  the  priest  ate 
and  drank  all  the  consecrated  elements  himself,  and 
gave  none  to  the  few  poor  women  who  composed 


REV.    HENRY    MARTY N.  42^ 

his  congregation,  and  who,  the  Armenians  said,  had 
been  hired  for  the  occasion.     In  our  way  back,  we 
called  at  the  Conrent  of  the  Armenian  Nuns,  a  com- 
pany of  ignorant  old  women,  who  screamed  out  some- 
thing in  the  Church,  which  they  called  a  welcome 
anthem.      I   tried    to   converse    with   the    Abbess, 
through  Matteus^  and  was  not  much  surprised  to  find 
her  utterly  without  information,  when  the  Bishops 
have  so  little.     I  wish  to  learn  Matteus'  sentiments 
on  the  subject  of  Monachism.     Though  his  defence 
of  it  shewed  he  was  not  strong  in  his  belief  of  its  util- 
ity, I  was  grieved  to  see  that  he  did  not  perceive 
how  far  the  Christian  way  of  sanctification  differed 
from  these  human  devices,  to  attain  that  object.     I 
talked  with  him  a  good  deal  about  the  office  of  the 
Spirit,  but  he  did  not,  while  assenting,  seem  to  feel 
its  importance.      Before  returning  to  Isfahan,   we 
sat  a  short  time  in  the  garden,  wath  the  Bishops. 
They,  poor  things!  had  nothing  to  say,  and  could 
scarcely  speak  Persian:  so  all  the  conversation  was 
between   me   and    Matteus.      At    my    request,    he 
brought  what  he  had  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  in  Per- 
sian and  Arabic.     They  were  Wheloi's  Persian  Gos- 
pels, and  an  Arabic  version  of  the  Gospels,  printed 
at  Rome.     I  tried  in  vain  to  bring  him  to  any  profit- 
able discussion;  with  more  sense  than  his  brethren, 
he  is  not  more  advanced  in  spiritual  knowledge.    Re- 
turned   much    disappointed.      Jul  fa    had   formerly 
twenty  Bishops,  and  about  one  hundred  clergy,  with 
twenty-four  Churches.     All  the  Armenians  can  read, 
55 


430  BIEMOIR    OF 

and  have  the  New  Testament;  but  family  prayer  is 
not  known.  They  may  go  every  day  to  Church 
prayers.  Matteus  preaches  every  Sunday,  he  says, 
and  this  day  expounded  the  first  of  John,  which  was 
the  Gospel  for  the  day. 

"26. — The  Armenian  Bishops  and  three  priests 
came  to  return  our  visit.  Matteus  brought  with 
him  a  copy  of  the  Gospels,  Armenian  and  Persian, 
done  by  Joannes,  the  late  Bishop  here,  who,  he  says, 
was  a  good  scholar,  and  wrote  on  the  Divinity  of 
Christ." 

At  the  end  of  the  month  of  May,  Mr.  Martyn 
departed  from  Isfahan,  and  thus  describes  a  route 
in  which  the  extremes  of  lovely  fertility  and  sterile 
desolation  were  united. 

"June  1. — Continued  winding  through  the  moun- 
tains to  Caroo,  situated  in  a  deep  dell.  Here  were 
trees,  green  corn  fields,  and  running  streams;  the 
first  place  in  Asia  I  have  seen  exhibiting  any  thing  of 
the  scenery  of  England. 

"2. — Soon  after  midnight,  mounted  our  horses.  It 
was  a  mild  moon  light  night,  and  a  nightingale  filled 
the  whole  valley  with  his  notes.  Our  way  was 
along  lanes,  over  which  the  wood  on  each  side 
formed  a  canopy,  and  a  murmuring  rivulet  accompa- 
nied us,  till  it  was  lost  in  a  lake.  At  daylight  we 
emerged  into  the  plain  of  Cashan,  which  seems  to  be 
a  part  of  the  Great  Salt  Desert.  On  our  arrival  at 
the  King's  garden,  where  we  intended  to  put  up,  we 
were  at  first  refused  admittance^  but  an  application 


REV.    HENRY   MARTIN.  431 

to  the  Governor  was  soon  attended  to.  We  saw 
here  huge  snowy  mountains,  on  the  north-east,  be- 
jond  Tehran. 

"3 — 5.  Reached  Kom — the  country  uniformly 
desolate. 

"The  chief  Moojtuhid  in  all  Persia  being  a  resi- 
dent in  this  city,  I  sent  to  know  if  a  visit  would  be 
agreeable  to  him.  His  reply  was,  that  if  I  had  any 
business  with  him,  I  might  come;  but  if  otherwise, 
his  age  and  infirmities  must  be  his  excuse.  Intend- 
ing to  travel  a  double  stage,  started  soon  after  sun- 
set; and  on  the 

"6th. — Crossed  the  desert,  which  we  had  been 
skirting,  from  the  day  we  cam<?  in  sight  of  Cashan. 
After  travelling  ten  parasangs,  reached  the  caravan* 
sara  of  Hour  Sultania.  Here,  first,  we  seemed  to 
be  approaching  the  Tartar  regions. 

"7. — Arrived  at  a  caravansara,  with  villages  in 
the  neighborhood,  seven  parasangs.  A  large  party 
gathered  about  me  in  the  evening,  and  from  asking 
questions  about  Europe,  proceeded,  as  usual,  to  in- 
terrogate me  concerning  Christ.  They  continued 
about  me  till  I  mounted  my  horse,  and  rode  from 
aniongst  them,  to  prosecute  my  journey. 

"8. — Arrived,  two  hours  before  day-break,  at 
the  walls  of  Tehran.  I  spread  my  bed  upon  the 
high  road,  and  slept  till  the  gates  were  open;  then 
entered  the  city,  and  took  up  my  abode  at  the  Am- 
bassador's house," 


432  MJ^MoiR  OF 

As  no  muleteers  could  be  procured  at  Tehran 
to  proceed  to  Tebriz,  it  was  considered  advisable 
that  Mr.  Martjn  should  travel  alone  to  the  King's 
camp,  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  Mirza  Shufi,  the 
Premier,  (or  Ameenoddoula,)  and  solicit  his.  as- 
sistance in  obtaining  for  him  an  introduction  to 
the  King:  for  he  was  "anxious  to  lose  no  time  in 
presenting  his  book;"  so  "leaving  the  city,"  he  says, 
"just  before  the  gates  w^ere  shut,  and  giving  the 
cattle  their  feed  outside  the  walls,  I  went  on,  and 
travelled  all  night,  till  sunrise,  and  arrived  at  the 
caravansara,  close  to  the  King's  camp,  at  Carach. 
I  lost  no  time  in  forwarding  Jaffier  Ali  Khan's 
letter  to  the  Premier,  who  sent  to  desire  that  I 
would  come  to  him.  I  found  him  lying  ill  in  the 
verandah  of  the  King's  tent  of  audience.  Near 
him  were  sitting  two  persons,  who,  I  was  afterwards 
informed,  were  Mirza  Khanter,  and  the  other  Mirza 
Abdoolwahab,  a  Secretary  of  state,  and  a  great 
admirer  of  the  Soofi  sage.  They  took  very  little 
notice,  not  rising  when  I  sat  down,  as  is  their  custom 
to  ail  who  sit  with  them,  nor  offering  me  calean. 
The  two  Secretaries,  on  learning  my  object  in  com- 
ing, began  a  conversation  with  me,  on  religion  and 
metaphysics,  which  lasted  two  hours.  As  they 
were  both  Avell  educated,  gentlemanly  men,  the 
discussion  was  temperate,  and,  I  hope,  useful. 
What  I  remember  of  it  was  as  follows: — 'Do  you 
consider  the  New  Testament  as  the  word  spoken 
by  God?'    'The  sense  from  God,  but  the  expression 


REV.  HENKY  MARTYN.  433 

from  the  different  writers  of  it.'  Here  the  Premier 
asked,  how  many  languages  I  understood;  whether 
I  spoke  French;  where  I  was  educated;  whether  I 
understood  astronomy  and  geography?  and  then  ob- 
served to  the  others,  that  I  spoke  good  Persian,  to 
which  they  assented.  They  resumed,  'We  want  to 
know  what  you  learned  men  think  about  the  state 
of  the  soul  after  death,  till  the  resurrection?'  I 
mentioned  the  different  opinions.  'But  how,  think 
you,  does  the  Spirit  exist  without  the  body?'  'Tell 
me,'  said  I,  'how  the  Angels  exist,  and  I  will  tell 
you.'  'In  what  sense  do  you  believe  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  body:  that  every  particle  buried  shall 
rise?'  I  mentioned  the  Scripture  metaphor  of  the 
wheat  dying  and  rising,  with  w  hich  the  Soofi  Secre- 
tary appeared  much  pleased.  'What  are  the  prin- 
ciples of  your  religion?'  'They  are  all  centered  in 
Jesus;  not  in  his  precepts,  but  himself  'What  are 
your  opinions  concerning  Christ:  was  he  a  Prophet 
created?'  'His  Manhood  was  created;  his  Godhead, 
of  course,  not.'  'Now  we  much  wish  to  hear  what 
are  your  notions  on  this  extraordinary  subject — the 
Trinity?'  I  explained,  and  began  with  observing, 
that  it  was  by  no  means  so  extraordinary  as  at  first 
sight  it  appeared  to  be;  and  then  brouglit  the  illus- 
tration from  the  words,  'Image  of  the  invisible  God.' 
'Have  you  read  the  Koran?'  'Yes.'  'Is  it  not  a 
miracle?'  'Prove  it  to  be  so.'  The  Soofi  said,  as  if 
from  me,  'the  Arabs  say  it  is  inimitably  elegant;  how 
do  I,  who  am  a  Persian,  know  it  to  be  so?'     'What 


434  -^lEMOIR   OF 

do  you  say  to  the  division  of  the  moon?*  *No  suffix 
cient  evidence  for  it.'  'What  superior  evidence 
have  you  for  the  miracles  of  Christ?'  I  was  about 
to  answer,  when  the  Soofi,  not  thinking  it  would  be 
satisfactory,  said,  rather  dogmatically,  Hhat  no  relig- 
ion could  be  proved  demonstratively.*  I  said,  'If 
such  degree  of  probable  evidence  was  adduced  as 
we  acted  upon  in  common  life,  we  should  be  inex- 
cusable in  rejecting  it.' 

"On  the  top  of  the  caravansara,  at  sun-set,  I  had 
a  conversation  of  a  different  kind  on  one  of  these 
subjects.  A  man,  seated  on  his  rug,  asked  me, 
what  I  walked  up  and  down  for,  and  told  me  to 
come  and  sit  with  him  on  his  carpet.  I  did,  and 
found  him  to  be  a  plain  Mahometan,  that  is — pure 
bigotry  and  ignorance.  Any  thing  I  said,  went 
for  nothing.  I  knew  nothing  at  all  about  the  Gos- 
pel. He  had  talked  with  Armenian  preachers,  and 
therefore  knew  more  about  the  matter  than  myself. 
They  had  told  him,  that  the  story  of  Jesus  and 
Mary,  In  the  Koran,  was  exactly  true;  this  he  took 
to  be  an  acknowledgment  that  the  book  was  from 
God.  Thinking  it  worth  while  to  see  the  state  of 
the  middling  rank  of  Mahometans,  I  let  him  talk 
away.  He  supposed  that  the  Mahometans  had 
formerly  taken  all  Europe,  and  that  we  still  paid 
tax  for  being  permitted  to  live.  That  the  mother 
of  Mehdi  was  the  daughter  of  Simon  Peter,  or 
Plato;  he  could  not  tell  which,  but  rather  thought 
it  was  Constantine,  Emperor  of  Romcc     He  could 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  435 

not  understand  how  Europe  should  be  on  one  side 
of  Persia,  and  India  on  the  other.  Such  geograph- 
ical difficulties  are  not  to  be  wondered  at  in  such  a 
poor  fellow,  though  he  had  travelled  as  a  merchant 
a  good  deal,  when  the  Moollahs,  and  probably  the 
Ministers  of  State,  do  not  know  the  relative  situa- 
tions of  the  provinces  of  their  own  kingdom. 

"The  man  was  very  angry  at  my  presuming  to 
ask  why  he  was  a  Mahometan.  Finding  me  at  last, 
more  disposed  to  hear  than  speak,  he  began  to 
think  his  discourse  had  made  some  nnpression  on 
me,  and  with  eyes  sparkling  with  hopes  of  a  con- 
quest, told  me,  with  great  affection,  what  I  should 
do  to  get  a  knowledge  of  the  truth.  'Drink,'  said 
he,  'no  wine  for  three  days;  pray,  according  to  your 
own  form,  for  divine  direction,  and  depend  upon  it 
you  will  find  it.'  'But  suppose,'  said  I,  'I  have  no 
such  doubts  in  my  mind,  as  to  feel  my  need  of  di- 
vine direction  in  this  particular;  what  then?'  'Why 
then,'  said  he,  looking  grimly,  'I  have  nothing  more 
to  say  to  you,  and  so,  good  night.'  " 

The  third  day  after  the  above  conversations,  Mr. 
Martyn  was  called  to  a  severer  trial  of  his  faith  and 
patience  than  any  to  which  he  had  yet  been  expos- 
ed.— Several  of  the  most  intemperate  Moollahs  set 
themselves  in  array  against  him,  and  contended  with 
him  in  behalf  of  Mahometanism,  in  the  presence  of 
the  Prime  Minister  of  the  Kingdom.  There  it  was 
demanded  of  him,  that  he  should  deny  that  Savior 
who  had  bought  him  with  his  blood;  but  there  he 


436 


MEi^IOIR     OF 


"witnessed  a  good  confession,"  and  fearlessly  ac- 
knowledged  Jesus  as  his   Lord. 

12. — "1  attended  the  Vizier's  levee,  when  there 
was  a  most  intemperate  and  clamorous  contro- 
versy kept  up  for  an  hour  or  two;  eight  or  ten 
on  one  side,  and  1  on  the  other.  Amongst  them 
were  two  Moollahs,  the  most  ignorant  of  any  I  have 
yet  met  with  in  Persia  or  India.  It  would  be  im- 
possible to  enumerate  all  the  absurd  things  they 
said.  Their  vulgarity,  in  interrupting  me  in  the 
middle  of  a  speech;  their  utter  ignorance  of  the 
nature  of  argument;  their  impudent  assertions  about 
the  law  and  the  Gospel,  neither  of  which  they  had 
ever  seen  in  their  lives — moved  my  indignat^n  a 
little.  I  wished,  and  I  said  that  it  would  have  been 
well,  if  Mirza  Abdoolwahab  had  been  there;  I 
should  have  had  a  man  of  sense  to  argue  with.  The 
Vizier,  who  set  us  going  at  first,  joined  in  it  latterly, 
and  said,  'You  had  better  say,  'God  is  God,  and  Ma- 
homet is  the  Prophet  of  God.'  I  said,  'God  is  God„' 
but  added  instead  of  'Mahomet  is  the  Prophet  of 
God,'  'and  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God.'  They  had  no 
sooner  heard  this,  which  I  had  avoided  mentioning 
till  then,  than  they  all  exclaimed,  in  contempt  and 
anger,  'He  is  neither  born,  nor  begets,'  and  rose  up, 
as  if  they  would  have  torn  me  in  pieces.  One  of 
them  said,  'what  will  you  say  when  your  tongue  is 
burnt  out  for  this  blasphemy?' 

"One  of  them  felt  for  me  a  little,  and  tried  to 
soften    the    severity    of    this    speech.      My   book, 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  437 

v/hich  I  had  brought,  expecting  to  present  it  to  the 
King,  lay  before  Mirza  Shuli.  As  they  all  rose  up, 
after  him,  to  go,  some  to  the  King,  and  some  away, 
I  Avas  afraid  they  would  trample  upon  the  book,  so 
I  went  in  among  them  to  take  it  up,  and  wrap[>ed  it 
in  a  towel  before  them;  while  they  looked  at  it  and 
me  with  supreme  contempt. 

"Thus  I  walked  away  alone  to  my  tent.,  to  pass 
the  rest  of  the  day  in  heat  and  dirt.  What  have  I 
done,  thought  I,  to  merit  all  this  scorn?  Nothing, 
I  trust,  but  bearing  testimony  to  Jesus.  I  thought 
over  these  things  in  prayer,  and  my  troubled  heart 
found  that  peace  which  Christ  hath  promised  to  his 
disciples: — 

*Ifon  my  face,  for  thy  dear  name,'  &c. 

"To  complete  the  trials  of  the  day,  a  message 
came  from  the  Vizier,  in  the  evening,  to  say,  that  it 
was  the  custom  of  the  King  not  to  see  any  English- 
man, unless  presented  by  the  Ambassador,  or  ac- 
''nredited  by  a  letter  from  him;  and  that  I  must  wait, 
therefore,  till  the  King  reached  Sultania,  where  the 
Ambassador  would  be." 

After  this  day  "of  rebuke  and  blasphemy,"  when 
that  divine  promise  was  eminently  fulfilled  towards 
Mr.  Martyn,  "thou  shalt  hide  them  in  the  secret  of 
thy  presence,  from  the  pride  of  man,  thou  shalt 
keep  them  secretly  in  a  pavilion  from  the  strife  of 
tongues,"  when  having  heard  the  "slander  of  many," 
and  being  made  a  "reproach  amongst  all  his  eue- 
f)6 


438  '  BIEMOIR  OF 

mies,'-  he  could  nevertheless  exclaim  with  the 
Psahnist,  "O  how  great  is  thy  goodness  which  thou 
hast  laid  up  for  them  that  fear  thee,  which  thou 
hast  wrought  for  them  that  trust  in  thee  before  the 
sons  of  men" — being  joined  by  his  companion  from 
Tehran,  he  turned  his  back  upon  the  King's  camp, 
and  prosecuted  his  journey  towards  Tebriz. 

"June  13. — Disappointed  of  my  object,"  he  writes, 
"in  coming  to  the  camp,  I  lost  no  time  in  leaving  it, 
but  proceeded,  in  company  with  Mr.  C.  who  had 
just  joined  me  from  Tehran,  towards  Casbin,  intend- 
ing to  wait  there  the  result  of  an  application  to  the 
Ambassador.  Started  at  eleven,  and  travelled  till 
eleven  next  morning,  having  gone  ten  parasangs,  or 
forty  miles,  to  Quishlag.  The  country  all  along  was 
well  watered  and  cultivated.  The  mules  being  too 
much  tired  to  proceed,  we  passed  the  day  at  the 
village;  indeed,  we  all  w^anted  rest.  As  I  sat  down 
in  the  dust,  on  a  shady  side  of  a  walled  village  we 
passed,  and  surveyed  the  plains  over  which  our  road 
lay,  I  sighed  at  the  thought  of  my  dear  friends  if 
India  and  England;  what  vast  regions  I  must  traverse 
before  I  can  get  to  either,  and  what  various  and  un- 
expected hindrances  present  themselves  to  my  going 
forward!  I  comfort  myself  with  the  hope  that  my 
God  has  something  for  me  to  do,  by  thus  delaying 
my  exit. 

"16. — Continued  at  the  village,  in  consequence  of 
an  illness  with  which  Mr.  C.  was  attacked;  but  at 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  439 

night  we  moved  forward,  and  after  travelling  seven 
jDarasangs,  in  the  same  fine  plain,  reached  Casbin. 

"17. — In  the  caravansara  there,  thej  were  collect- 
ing straw,  &LC.  for  the  King,  whom  they  expected 
in  ten  days.  On  this  plea,  they  refused  to  allow  us 
to  unload  there. 

"18. — Endeavored  to  get  a  muleteer  to  go  to  the 
Ambassador,  but  could  agree  with  none,  so  I  deter- 
mined to  stay  at  Casbin.  I  had  at  first  intended  to 
go  on  to  Sultania,  there  to  wait  for  the  King. 

"20. — Left  this  place,  not  a  little  disgusted  at  the 
reception  we  had  met  with  there.  One  parasang 
off,  we  stopped  at  a  village  to  get  something  for 
breakfast.  One  of  the  people  there  asked  a  good 
many  questions  about  our  religion.  It  \vas  such  an 
unusual  thing,  travelling  coolly,  in  the  middle  of  the 
day,  in  the  East,  that  it  produced  a  new  train  of 
ideas:  indeed,  I  thought  of  nothing  but  of  my  dear 
friends  in  England,  and  the  days  when,  in  Aveather 
like  this,  I  walked  with  them,  'taking  sweet  coun- 
sel.' While  passing  over  the  plain,  mostly  on  foot, 
I  had  them  all  in  my  mind,  and  bore  them  upon  my 
heart  in  prayer.  The  North  wind,  from  the  Caspi- 
auj  I  suppose,  blowing  through  some  clouds  that 
rested  on  the  mountains  on  our  right,  made  the  air 
excessively  cold. 

Arrived,  between  twelve  and  one  o'clock,  at  Scah 
Dulir,  where  a  villager  gave  us  his  house;  though 
the  room  we  were  in  was  so  constructed  as  scarcely 


440  ^    MEMOIR    OF 

to  admit  the  lighi,  we  had  need  of  all  our  skins  to 
keep  us  warm. 

''21. — On  account  of  the  coldness  of  the  weath- 
er, we  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  start  till  seven 
o'clock,  after  breakfast.  Arrived  at  the  village  of 
Aber  at  four  in  the  afternoon,  having  taken  the 
shortest  route.  Till  we  reached  the  hio;h  and  fre- 
quented  road,  all  was  barrenness;  but  from  thence, 
a  good  deal  of  cultivation,  as  also  all  the  way  from 
Casbin,  near  which  city  the  vineyards  were  all  open 
to  the  road:  there  was  not  so  much  as  a  fence. 

"22. — Left  Sangla,  at  a  quarter  past  five  in  the 
morning,  and  at  a  quarter  past  ten  reached  Sultania. 
The  weather  was  perfectly  cool  and  agreeable,  and 
lall    round    were    the   pastures   of  the    wilderness. 
We  met  with  the  usual  insulting  treatment  at  the 
caravansara,  where  the  King's  servants  had  got  pos- 
session of  a  good  room,  built  for  the  reception  of 
better  sort  of  guests — they  seemed  to  delight  in 
the  opportunity  of  humbling  an  European.    Sultania 
is  still  but  a  village;  yet  the  Zengan  Prince  quarter- 
ed himself,  and  all  his  attendants,  with  their  horses, 
on    this   poor  little  village.      All   along    the    road 
where  the  King  is  expected,  the  people  are  patiently 
waiting,    as    for   some    dreadful    disaster.     Plague, 
pestilence,  famine,  are   nothing   to  the    misery  of 
being  subject  to  the  violence  and  extortion  of  this 
rabble  soldiery.     One   of   our  servants,  who  had 
himself  been  formerly  a  soldier  in  the  King's  camp, 
said,  that  the  troops  were  raised  from  the  wander- 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  441 

ing  tribes  and  the  cities. — Those  from  the  tribes 
were  paid  by  the  King,  the  others  bj  the  cities. 
Sons  of  the  Chiefs  of  tlie  tribes,  and,  indeed,  of  all 
in  important  governments,  are  detained  at  Court  as 
hostages. 

"24. — Left  Sultania,  at  half-past  three.  Saw 
some  water  tortoises  on  the  edge  of  the  little  stream 
that  watered  the  vale.  Continued  our  course  to 
Zengan,  distant  from  Sultania  six  parasangs,  a  walled 
city.  Here  we  found,  in  the  caravansara,  large 
bales  of  cotton,  brought  by  merchants  from  Tehran, 
intended  for  Turkey.  There  were  also  two  Tar- 
tar merchants,  natives  of  Astrachan,  who  had 
brought  iron  and  tea  for  sale.  They  wished  to 
know  whether  we  wanted  tea  of  Csthay.  I  was 
curious  to  know  something  about  the  countries  they 
had  visited;  but  they  spoke  nothing  but  Turkish, 
without  which  language,  a  person  may  travel  to  very 
little  purpose  in  these  parts:  Persian  is  quite  a  for- 
eign language. 

"25. — After  a  restless  night,  rose  so  ill  with  a 
fever  that  I  could  not  go  on.  My  companion  Mr.  C. 
was  nearly  in  the  same  state.  We  touched  nothing 
ail  the  day. 

"26. — After  such  another  night,  I  had  determined 
to  go  on,  but  Mr.  C.  declared  himself  unable  to  stir; 
so  here  we  dragged  through  another  miserable  day. 
What  added  to  our  distress  was,  that  we  were  in 
danger,  if  detained  here  another  day  or  two,  of  be- 
ing  absolutely  in  want   of  the  necessaries  of  life, 


442  i^IEMOlR    OF 

before  reaching  Tebrlz.  We  made  repeated  appli- 
cations to  the  monied  people,  but  none  would 
advance  a  piastre.  Where  are  the  people  who 
flew  forth  to  meet  General  Malcolm  Avitli  their 
purses  and  their  lives?  Another  generation  has  risen 
up,  who  know  not  Joseph.  Providentially,  a  poor 
muleteer  arriving  from  Tebriz,  becoming  security 
for  us,  obtained  five  tomans  for  us.  This  was  a 
Heaven-send;  and  we  lay  down  quietly,  free  from 
apprehensions  of  being  obliged  to  go  a  fatiguing 
journey  of  eight  or  ten  hours,  without  a  house  or 
village  in  the  way,  in  our  present  weak  and  reduced 
state.  We  had  now  eaten  nothing  for  two  days. 
My  mind  was  much  disordered  from  head-ache  and 
giddiness,  from  which  I  was  seldom  free;  but  my 
heart,  I  trust,  was  with  Christ,  and  his  saints.  To 
live  much  longer  in  this  world  of  sickness  and  pain, 
seemed  no  way  desirable;  the  most  favorite  pros- 
pects of  my  heart  seemed  very  poor  and  childish, 
and  cheerfully  would  I  have  exchanged  them  for 
the  unfading  inheritance. 

"27. — My  Armenian  servant  was  attacked  in  tho 
same  way.  The  rest  did  not  get  me  the  things 
that  I  wanted,  so  that  I  passed  the  third  day  in  the 
same  exhausted  state;  my  head,  too,  tortured. with 
shocking  pains,  such  as,  together  with  the  horror  I 
felt  at  being  exposed  to  the  sun,  shewed  rne  plainly 
to  what  to  ascribe  my  sickness.  Towards  evening, 
two  more  of  our  servants  were  attacked  in  the 
same  way,  and  lay  groaning  from  pains  in  the  head* 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  443 

"28. — All  were  much  recovered,  but  in  tiie-afler- 
noon  I  again  relapsed.  During  a  high  fever,  Mr. 
*  #  *  read  to  me,  in  bed,  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephe- 
sians,  and  I  never  felt  the  consolations  of  that  divine 
revelation  of  mysteries  more  sensibly  and  solemnly. 
Rain  in  the  night  prevented  our  setting  off. 

"29. — My  ague  and  fever  returned,  with  such  a 
head-ache,  that  I  was  almost  frantic*  Again  and  again 
I  said  to  myself,  let  patience  have  its  perfect  work, 
and  kept  pleading  the  promises,  'When  thou  passest 
through  the  waters,  I  will  be  with  thee,'  &€.;  and  the 
Lord  did  not  withhold  his  presence.  I  endeavored 
to  repel  all  the  disordered  thoughts  that  the  fever 
occasioned,  and  to  keep  in  mind  that  all  w  as  friendly: 
a  friendly  Lord  presiding,  and  nothing  (exercising  me 
but  what  would  shew  itself  at  last  friendly.  A  vio- 
lent perspiration  at  last  relieved  the  acute  pain  in 
my  head,  and  my  heart  rejoiced;  but  as  soon  as  that 
was  over,  the  exhaustion  it  occasioned,  added  to  the 
fatigue  from  the  pain,  left  me  in  as  low  a  state  of 
depression  as  ever  I  was  in.  I  seemed  about  to  sink 
into  a  long  fainting  fit,  and  I  almost  wished  it;  but 
at  this  moment,  a  little  after  midnight,  I  was  sum- 
moned to  mount  my  horse,  and  I  set  out,  rather  dead 
than  alive.  We  moved  on  six  parasangs.  We  had 
a  thunder-storm,  with  hail. 

"July  1. — A  long  and  tiresome  march  to  Sare- 
bund;  for  seven  parasangs  there  was  no  village^ 
They  had  nothing  to  sell,  but  buttermilk  and  bread; 
but  a  servant  of  Abbas  Mirza  happening  to  be  at  the 


444  kEMOIR    OF 

same  caravansara,  sent  us  some  flesh  of  a  mountain^ 
cow,  which  he  had  shot  the  day  before.  All  day  I 
had  scarcely  the  right  recollection  of  myself,  from 
the  violence  of  the  ague.  We  have  now  reached 
the  end  of  the  level  ground,  which  we  have  had  all 
the  way  from  Tehran,  and  are  approaching  the 
boundaries  of  Parthia  and  Media;  a  most  natural 
boundary  it  is,  as  the  two  ridges  of  mountains  we 
have  had  on  the  left  and  right,  come  round  and 
form  a  barrier. 

"2. — At  two  in  the  morning  we  set  out.  I  hardly 
know  when  I  have  been  so  disordered.  I  had  little 
or  no  recollection  of  things,  and  what  I  did  remem- 
ber, at  times,  of  happy  scenes  in  India  or  England, 
served  only  to  embitter  my  present  situation.  Soon 
after  moving  into  the  air,  I  was  seized  with  a  violent 
ague,  and  in  this  state  I  went  on  till  sunrise.  At 
three  parasangs  and  a  half,  we  found  a  fine  caravan- 
sara, very  little  used  apparently,  as  the  grass  was 
growing  in  the  court.  There  was  nothing  all  round 
but  the  barren  rocks,  which  generally  roughen  the 
country  before  the  mountain  rears  its  height.  Such 
an  edifice,  in  such  a  situation,  was  cheering.  Soon 
after,  we  came  to  a  river,  over  which  was  a  high 
bridge:  I  sat  down  in  the  shade  under  it,  with  two 
camel  drivers.  The  cafila,  as  it  happened,  forded 
the  river,  and  passed  on,  Avithout  my  perceiving  it. 
Ml'.  *  *  =^  seeing  no  signs  of  me,  returned,  and  after 
some  time  looking  about,  espied  my  horse  grazing; 
he  concluded,  inmiediately,  that  the  horse  had  flung 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYX.  445 

ine  from  the  bridge  into  the  river,  and  was  almost 
about  to  give  me  up  for  lost.  My  speedy  appear- 
ance from  under  the  bridge,  reheved  his  terror  and 
anxiety.  The  pass  was  a  mere  nothing  to  those  at 
Bushire;  in  fact,  it  was  no  part  of  the  mountain  we 
chmbed,  but  a  few  hills.  At  a  natural  opening  in  the 
mountains,  on  the  other  side,  was  a  river,  most  of  its 
bed  dry,  and  over  it  a  bridge  of  many  arches,  which 
led  us  to  an  unwalled  village,  surrounded  by  corn 
fields,  which  we  reached  at  ten  o'clock.  Half  the 
people  still  continue  il!;  for  myself,  I  am,  through 
God's  infinite  mercy,  recovering. 

"3. — Started  at  three,  full  three  hours  after  we 
ought,  and,  as  was  to  be  expected,  we  all  got  ill  again, 
from  beicg  exposed  to  the  sun  six  hours;  for  we  did 
not  get  to  our  ground,  Turcoman,  till  eleven  o'clock. 
It  was  a  poor  village,  among  the  hills,  over  which  our 
whole  way  lay,  from  Mianu.  Ascending  one,  and 
descending  another,  was  the  whole  of  the  variety, 
so  that  I  do  not  know  when  we  have  had  a  more 
tiresome  day. 

"4. — I  so  far  prevailed,  as  to  gat  the  cafila  in  mo- 
tion at  midnight.  Lost  our  way  in  the  night,  but 
arriving  at  a  village,  were  set  right  again.  At  eight, 
came  to  Kilk  caravansara,  but  not  stopping  there, 
went  on  to  a  village  where  we  arrived  at  half-past 
nine.  The  baggage  not  coming  up  till  long  after, 
we  got  no  breakfast  till  one  o'clock.  In  conse- 
quence of  all  these  things — want  of  sleep,  want  of 
refreshment,  and  exposure  to  the  sun,  I  was  presently 
57 


'14f>  MEMOm    OF 

in  a  high  fever,   which  raged  so  furiously  all   the 
(lay,  that  I  was  nearly  delirious,  and  it  was  a  long 
(ime  before  I  could  get  the  right  recollection  of  my- 
self,    I  almost  despaired,  and  do  now^,  of  getting 
alive  through  this  unfortunate  journey.     Last  night 
I  felt  remarkably  well,  calm,  and  composed,  and  sat 
reflecting  on  my  heavenly  rest,  with   more  sweet- 
ness of  soul,  abstraction  from  the  world,  and  solemn 
views  of  God,  than  I  have  had  a  long  time.     O!  for 
such  sacred  hours!  This  short  and  painful  life  would 
scarcely  be  felt,  could  I  but  live  thus  at  Heaven's 
gate.     It  being  impossible  to  continue  my  journey 
m  my  present  state,  one  of  the  servants  also  being  so 
ill  that  he  could  not  move  with  safety,  we  determin- 
ed to  halt  at  the  village  one  day,  and  sent  on  a  mes- 
senger to  Sir  Gore,  at  Tebriz,  informing  him  of  our 
approach. 

"5.—  Sleeping  all  day,  and  at  sunset  prepared  to 
proceed  all  the  way  to  Tebriz,  or  at  least  to  Seid 
Abad;  but  we  did  not  set  out  till  one  in  the  morning. 
I  was  again  dreadfully  disordered  with  head-ache 
and  fever.  We  got  into  a  wretched  hovel,  where 
the  rafrinof  fever  almost  deprived  me  of  reason.     In 


'to'"^ 


pri' 


the  cool  of  the  evening,  we  set  out  to  go  to  Seid 
Abad,  distant  about  three  parasangs.  When  the 
cafila  arrived  near  Seid  Abad,  it  was  a  dark  night, 
about  eleven  o'clock,  and  not  one  of  the  party  knew 
where  it  was,  nor  could  we  discover  it  by  the  bark- 
ing of  the  dogs,  the  usual  sign.  Once  we  heard  the 
bark,  and  made  sure  of  having  attained  our  object: 


RET.    HENRY   MARTYN.  447 

but  it  was  only  shepherds  keeping  watch  over  their 
flocks  by  night.     These  boors  shewed  us  what  road 
to  take,  which  we  soon  found  ended  in  nothing;  so 
returning,  we  tried  to  induce  one  of  them  to  serve 
as  a  guide,  with  the  promise  of  any  sum  of  money 
he  required — but  all  in  vain.     The  only  thing  that 
remained  to  be  done,  was  to  lie  down  on  the  spot, 
and  wait  patiently  for  the  day;    which  I  did,  and 
caught  such  a  cold  as,  with  all  our  other  exposures, 
consummated  my  disorders.     As  soon  as  it  was  day, 
we  found  our  v/ay  to  the  village,  where  Dr.  *  '*  ^ 
was  waiting  for  us.     Not  being  able  to  stay  for  us, 
he  went  on  to  Tebriz,  and  we  as  far  as  Wasmuch, 
where   he  promised  to  prepare  for  us  a  fine  upper 
room  furnished;  but  when  we  arrived,  they  denied 
that  there   was  any  such   place;    at  last,  after  an 
hour's   threatening,  w^e  got  admittance  to  it.      An 
Iiour  before  break  of  day  I  left  it,  in  hopes  of  reach- 
ing Tebriz  before    sunrise.     Some  of   the    people 
seemed  to  feel  compassion  for  me,  and  asked  me  if 
I  was  not  very  ill.     At  last  I  reached  the  gate,  and 
feebly  asked  for  a  man  to  shew  me  the  way  to  the 
Ambassador's. 

By  a  fever  of  nearly  two  months  continuance, 
which,  during  a  greater  portion  of  that  period,  raged 
with  unremitted  severity,  Mr.  Martyn  was  defeated 
in  his  intention  of  presenting  in  person  his  translation 
of  the  New  Testament  to  the  King  of  Persia,  and  to 
the  Prince  his  son.  His  disappointment,  however, 
on  this  occasion,  was  greatly  diminished  by  the  kind- 


448  MEMOIR    OF 

ness  of  Sir  Gore  Ouselej,  who,  together  with  his 
Lady,  was  tenderly  and  assiduously  attentive  to  Mr. 
Martyn,  throughout  the  whole  of  his  illness,  and  who, 
in  order  that  nothing  night  be  wanting  conducive  to 
the  favorable  acceptance  of  the  New  Testament 
Avith  the  King,  promised  himself  to  present  it  at 
Court.* 

The  idea  of  returning  to  England,  which  first  oc- 
curred to  Mr.  Martyn  at  Cawnpore,  was,  as  we  have 
seen,  instantly  abandoned  by  him,  on  its  appearing 
to  be  the  Divine  will  that  he  should  visit  Persia. — 
After  accomplishmg  his  great  object  in  that  country, 
the  general  state  of  his  health  seeming  to  him  to 
render  the  measure  requisite,  he  reverted  to  his 
original  intention,  in  the  prosecution  of  which,  he 
was  confirmed  by  his  long  illness  at  Tebriz,  for  it 
had  been  induced  by  exposure  to  a  heated  atmos- 
phere. 

Happy  would  it  have  been,  as  to  human  eyes  it 
appears,  had  he  been  less  precipitate  in  putting  this 
design  in  execution;  but,  on  the  tenth  day  after  his 
recovery,  he  commenced  his  journey.  What  he 
felt  when  deprived  of  health, — what  were  his  sen- 
sations when  in  a  considerable  degree  restored  to  it, 
may  be  seen  in  extracts  from  two  letters,  the  one 
addressed  to  Mr.  Simeon,  from  the  bed  of  suffering; 

*  Sir  Gore  Ouseley,  according  to  his  promise,  laid  the  New  Testament 
before  the  King,  who  publicly  expressed  his  apjirobation  of  the  work.  He 
also  carried  the  MS.  to  St.  Petersburgh,  where,  under  his  superintendance, 
it  was  printed  and  put  into  circulation. 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  449 

the  other  sent  to  a  frlerrd  exceedingly  beloved  by 
him  in  Cornwall. 

"1  would  not  pain  your  heart,"  he  said,  in  the 
first,  "but  we  who  are  in  Jesus,  have  the  privilege 
of  viewing  hfe  and  death  as  nearly  the  same,  since 
both  are  ours;  and  I  thank  a  gracious  Lord,  that 
sickness  never  came  at  a  time  when  I  was  m.ore  free 
from  apparent  reasons  for  living.  Nothing  seeming- 
ly remains  for  me  to  do,  but  to  follow  the  rest  of  my 
family  to  the  tornb." — "It  has  pleased  God,"  he 
wrote  in  the  second,  "to  restore  me  to  life  and 
health  a^ain:  not  that  I  have  recovered  my  former 
strength  yet,  but  consider  myself  sufficiently  restor- 
ed to  prosecute  my  journey.  My  daily  prayer  is, 
that  my  late  chastisement  may  have  its  intended 
effect,  and  make  me,  all  the  rest  of  my  days,  more 
humble  and  less  self-coniident.  Self-confidence  has 
often  let  me  down  fearful  lengths,  and  would,  with- 
out God's  gracious  interference,  prove  my  endless 
perdition.  I  seem  to  be  made  to  feel  this  evil  of 
my  heart,  more  than  any  other,  at  this  time.  In 
prayer,  or  when  I  write  or  converse  on  the  subject, 
Christ  appears  to  me  my  life  and  strength;  but,  at 
other  times,  I  am  thoughUess  and  bold,  as  if  I  had 
all  life  and  strength  in  myself.  Such  neglects,. on 
our  part,  are  a  diminution  of  our  joys;  but  the  Cov- 
enant! the  Covenant  stands  fast  with  Him  for  his 
people  evermore.  I  mentioned  my  conversing  some- 
times on  divine  subjects.  In  these  I  am  sometmies 
led  on  by  the   Soofi  Persians,  and  tell  them  ail  I 


450  '3IEM0IR   OF 

know  of  the  very  recesses  of  the  Sanctuary.  But 
to  give  an  account  of  all  my  discussions  with  these 
mystic  philosophers,  must  be  reserved  to  the  time  of 
our  meeting.  Do  I  dream,  that  I  venture  to  think 
and  write  of  such  an  event  as  that?  Is  it  possible 
that  we  shall  ever  meet  again  below?  Though  it  is 
possible,  I  dare  not  indulge  such  a  pleasing  hope. 

"In  three  days  I  intend  setting  my  horse's  head 
towards  Constantinople,  distant  about  one  thousand 
three  hundred  miles.  Nothing,  I  think,  will  occa- 
sion any  further  detention  here,  if  I  can  procure 
servants  who  know  both  Persian  and  Turkish.  Ig- 
norant as  I  am  of  Turkish,  should  I  be  taken  ill  on 
the  road,  my  case  would  be  pitiable  indeed.  The 
Ambassador  and  his  suite  are  still  here;  his  and 
Lady  Ouseley's  attentions  to  me,  during  my  illness, 
have  been  unremitted.  The  Prince  Abbas  Mirza, 
the  wisest  of  the  King's  sons,  and  heir  to  the 
Throne,  was  here  some  time  after  my  arrival.  I 
much  wished  to  present  a  copy  of  the  Persian  New 
Testament  to  him,  but  I  could  not  rise  from  my  bed. 
The  book,  however,  will  be  given  to  him  by  the 
Ambassador.  Public  curiosity  about  the  Gospel, 
now  for  the  first  time,  in  the  memory  of  the  modern 
Persians,  introduced  into  the  country,  is  a  good  deal 
excited  here  and  at  Shiraz,  and  at  other  places;  so, 
that  upon  the  whole,  I  am  thankful  at  having  been 
led  hither  and  detained,  though  my  residence  in  this 
country  has  been  attended  with  many  unpleasant 
circumstances.     The  way  of  the  Kings  of  the  East 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  451 

is  preparing:  tlius  much  may  be  said  with  safety, 
but  Httle  more.  The  Persians  also  will  probably 
take  the  lead  in  the  march  to  Sion." 

With  such  feeble  hopes  of  reaching  England,  Mr. 
Martyn  set  his  face  towards  it.  His  journey  was 
the  most  painful,  and  at  the  same  time  most  joyful 
one  he  ever  undertook.  The  miseries  he  endured 
in  it  were  intense — but  it  ended  in  his  entrance  into 
Heaven. 

"Sept.  2. — All  things  being  ready,"  he  says,  "I 
set  out  on  my  long  journey  of  one  thousand  three 
hundred  miles,  carrying  letters  from  Sir  Gore  Ouse- 
ley,  for  the  Governors  of  Erivan,  Cars,  and  Erzerum, 
and  the  Ambassador  at  Constantinople.  My  party 
consisted  of  two  Armenian  servants,  Antoine,  the 
groom,  and  Serglus,  who  was  to  accompany  me  all 
the  way  to  Constantinople,  as  professing  to  speak 
Persian  and  Turkish,  and  so  qualified  to  act  as  my 
interpreter;  but  his  knowledge  of  the  former  I 
soon  found  to  be  rather  scanty.  These  were 
mounted,  and  two  other  horses  carried  my  luggage; 
my  Mihmander  had  also  Chappar*  horses,  and  I 
rode  my  own;  there  was  also  a  man  on  foot,  to 
bring  back  the  cattle.  As  we  passed  through  the 
bazars  of  Tebriz,  I  saw  quantities  of  the  finest  fruit 
displayed  on  every  stand.  At  sunset,  we  left  the 
w^estern  gate   of    Tebriz  behind  us.     The  horses 

•  Mr.  INlartyn,  through  the  friendly  interference  of  the  Ambassadoi*, 
travelled  with  what  are  termed  Chappar  horses;  for  an  account  of  which  see 
Bxtrder^s  Oriental  Customs,  p.  260. 


452  MEMOIR    OF 

proved  to  be  sorry  animals;  one  sunk  so  oiteu 
under  his  load,  that  we  were  six  hours  going  what 
tlie  Mihmander  called  two  parasangs,  but  wdiich 
was  undoubtedly  three  or  four.  It  was  midnight 
before  we  arrived  at  Sangla,  a  village  in  the  middle 
of  the  plain  of  Tebriz.  There  they  procured  me  a 
place  in  the  Zabit's  house.  I  slept  till  after  sun- 
rise of  the  3rd,  and  did  not  choose  to  proceed  at 
such  an  hour,  so  I  passed  most  of  the  day  in  my 
room.  At  three  in  the  afternoon  proceeded  to- 
w^ards  Sofian.  My  health  again  restored,  through 
infinite  and  unbounded  mercy,  allowed  me  to  look 
round  the  creation  with  calm  deh'ght.  The  plain 
of  Tebriz,  towards  the  west  and  south-west,  stretch- 
es away  to  an  immense  distance,  and  is  bounded  in 
these  directions  by  mountains  so  remote,  as  appear, 
from  their  soft  blue,  to  blend  with  the  skies.  The 
baggage  having  been  sent  on  before,  I  ambled  on 
with  my  Mihmander,  looking  all  around  me,  and  es- 
pecially towards  the  distant  hills,  with  gratitude  and 
joy.  Oh!  it  is  necessary  to  have  been  confined  to  a 
bed  of  sickness,  to  know  the  delight  of  moving  freely 
through  the  works  of  God,  w^ith  the  senses  left  at 
liberty  to  enjoy  their  proper  objects.  My  atten- 
dant not  being  very  conversant  with  Persian,  we 
rode  silently  along;  for  my  part  I  could  not  have 
enjoyed  any  companion  so  much  as  I  did  my  own 
feelings.  At  sunset  we  reached  Sofian,  a  village 
with  gardens,  at  the  north-west  end  of  the  plain,  usu- 
ally the  first  stage  from  Tebriz.     The  Zabit  was  in 


'BiEV.  HENRY  MARTYN.  453 

his  corn-field,  under  a  little  tent,  inspecting  his  labor- 
ers, who  were  cutting  the  straw  fine,  so  as  to  be 
eaten  by  cattle:  this  was  done  by  drawing  over  it  a 
cylinder,  armed  with  blades  of  a  triangular  form, 
placed  in  different  planes,  so  that  their  vertices 
should  coincide  in  the  cylinder. 

"The  Zabit  paid  me  no  attention,  but  sent  a  man 
to  shew  me  a  place  to  sleep  in,  with  only  three  walls. 
I  demanded  another,  with  four,  and  was  accordingly 
conducted  to  a  weaver's,  where,  notv>^ithstanding  the 
musquitoes  and  other  vermin,  I  passed  the  night  com- 
fortably enough.  On  my  offering  money,  the  Mih- 
mander  interfered,  and  said,  if  it  were  known  that  I 
had  given  money  he  should  be  ruined,  and  added, 
'they  indeed  dare  not  take  it:'  but  this  I  did  not  fmd 
to  be  the  case. 

"4. — At  sunrise,  mounted  my  horse,  and  proceed- 
ed north-v^est,  through  a  pass  in  the  mountains,  to- 
wards Murun.  By  the  way,  I  sat  down  by  a  brook, 
and  there  ate  my  bread  and  raisins,  and  drank  of  the 
crystal  stream;  but  either  the  coldness  of  this  un- 
usual breakfast,  or  the  riding  after  it,  did  not  at  all 
agree  with  me.  The  heat  oppressed  me  much,  and 
the  road  seemed  intolerably  tedious;  at  last  we  got 
out  from  among  the  mountains,  and  saw  the  village 
of  Murun,  in  a  fine  valley  on  the  right.  It  w  as  about 
eleven  o'clock  when  we  reached  it.  As  the  Mih- 
mander  could  not  immediately  find  a  place  to  put  me 
in,  we  had  a  complete  view  of  this  village.  They 
stared  at  my  European  dress,  but  no  disrespect  was 
58 


454  MEMOIR     OF 

shewn.      I  was  deposited,  at  last  with  Khan^ 

who  was  seated  in  a  place  with  three  walls.  Not 
at  all  disposed  to  pass  the  day  in  company,  as  well 
as  exposed,  I  claimed  another  room;  on  which  I  was 
shewn  to  the  stable,  where  there  was  a  little  place 
partitioned  oif,  but  so  as  to  admit  a  view  of  the 
horses.  The  smell  of  the  stable,  though  not  in  gen- 
eral disagreeable  to  me,  was  so  strong,  that  I  was 
quite  unwell,  and  strangely  dispirited  and  melancholy. 
Immediately  after  dinner,  I  fell  fast  asleep,  and 
slept  four  hours,  when  I  rose,  and  ordered  them  to 
prepare  for  the  next  journey.  The  horses  being 
changed  here,  it  was  some  time  before  they  were 
brought,  but  by  exerting  myself,  we  moved  off  by 
midnight.  It  was  a  most  mild  and  delightful  night, 
and  tiie  pure  air,  after  the  smell  of  the  stable,  was 
reviving.  For  once,  also,  I  travelled  all  the  way 
without  being  sleepy,  and  beguiled  the  hours  of  the 
night  by  thinking  of  the  14th  Psalm,  especially 
the  connexion  of  the  last  three  verses  with  the 
preceding. 

"5. — In  five  hours  we  were  just  on  the  hills  that 
face  the  pass  out  of  the  valley  of  Murun,  and  in  four 
hours  and  a  half  more  emerged  from  between  the 
two  ridges  of  mountains,  into  the  valley  of  Gurjur. 
Gurjur  is  eight  parasangs  from  Murun,  and  our 
course  to  it  was  nearly  due  north.  This  long  march 
was  far  from  being  a  fatiguing  one.  The  air,  the 
road,  and  my  spirits  were  good.  Here  I  was  well 
accommodated,  but  had  to  mourn  over  my  impatient 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  455 

temper  towards  my  servants — there  is  nothing  that 
disturbs  my  peace  so  much.  How  much  more  noble 
and  godlike,  to  bear  with  calmness,  and  observe 
with  pit}',  rather  than  anger,  the  failings  and  offen- 
ces of  others.  O  that  I  may,  through  grace,  be 
enabled  to  recollect  myself  at  the  time  of  tempt- 
ation! O  that  the  Spirit  of  God  may  check  my  folly, 
and  bring  the  lowly  Savior  to  my  view  at  such  times! 
"6. — Soon  after  twelve  we  started  with  fresh 
horses,  and  came  to  the  Arar,  or  Araxes,  distant 
two  parasangs,  and  about  as  broad  as  the  Isis,  with 
a  current  as  strong  as  that  of  the  Ganges.  The 
ferry-boat  being  on  the  other  side,  I  lay  down  to 
sleep  till  it  came,  but  observing  my  servants  do  the 
same,  I  was  obliged  to  get  up  and  exert  myself.  It 
dawned,  however,  before  we  got  over.  The  boat 
was  a  huge  fabric  in  the  form  of  a  rhombus.  The 
ferry-man  had  only  a  stick  to  push  with;  an  oar,  I 
dare  say,  he  had  never  seen  or  heard  of,  and  many 
of  my  train  had  also,  probably,  never  floated  before; 
so  alien  is  a  Persian  from  every  thing  that  belongs 
to  shipping.  We  landed  safely  on  the  other  side  in 
about  two  minutes.  We  were  four  hours  in  reach- 
ing Nackshan,  and  for  half  an  hour  more  I  was  led 
from  street  to  street,  till  at  last  I  was  lodged  in  a 
wash-house  belonging  to  a  great  man,  a  corner  of 
which  was  cleaned  out  for  me.  It  was  near  noon, 
and  my  baggage  had  not  arrived,  so  that  I  was  oblig- 
ed to  go  without  my  breakfast,  which  was  hard, 
after  a  ride  for  four  hours  in  the  sun.    The  baggage 


456  ^MEMOIR    Ot 

was  delayed  so  long,  that  I  began  to  fear;  however, 
it  arrived.  All  the  afternoon  I  slept,  and  at  sunset 
rose,  and  continued  wakeful  till  midnight,  when  I 
roused  my  people,  and  with  fresh  horses  set  out 
again.  We  travelled  till  sunrise.  I  scarcely  per- 
ceived we  had  been  moving,  a  Hebrew  word  in  the 
16th  Psalm,  having  led  me  gradually  to  speculations 
on  the  eighth  conjugation  of  the  Arabic  verb.  I  am 
glad  my  philological  curiosity  is  revived,  as  my  mind 
will  be  less  liable  to  idleness, 

"7. — Arrived  at  Khoock,  a  poor  village,  dis- 
tant five  and  a  half  parasangs  from  Nackshan, 
nearly  west.  I  should  have  mentioned,  that  on 
descending  into  the  plain  of  Nackshan,  my  atten- 
tion was  seized  by  the  appearance  of  a  hoary  moun- 
tain, in  front,  at  the  other  end,  rising  so  high  above 
the  rest,  that  they  sunk  into  nothing.  It  was  truly 
sublime,  and  the  interest  it  excited  was  not  less, 
when,  on  inquiring  its  name,  I  was  told  it  was  Agri, 
or  Ararat.  Thus  I  saw  two  remarkable  objects  in 
one  day — the  Araxes  and  Ararat.  At  four  in  the 
afternoon  we  set  out  for  Shurror.  The  evening  was 
pleasant;  the  ground  over  which  we  passed  was  all 
full  of  rich  cultivation  and  verdure,  Avatered  by 
many  a  stream,  and  containing  forty  villages,  most  of 
them  with  the  usual  appendage  of  gardens.  To  add 
to  the  scene,  the  great  Ararat  was  on  our  left.  On 
the  peak  of  that  hill  the  whole  church  was  con- 
tained: it  has  now  spread  far  and  wide,  to  the  ends 
of  the  earth,  but  the  ancient  vicinity  of  it  knows  it 


RET.    HENRY    MARTYN.  457 

no  more.  I  fancied  many  a  spot  where  Noah  per- 
haps offered  his  sacrifices;  and  the  promise  of  God, 
'that  seed  time  and  harvest  should  not  cease,'  ap- 
peared, to  me,  more  anxiously  fulfilled  in  the  agree- 
able plain  where  it  was  spoken,  than  elsewhere,  as  I 
had  not  seen  such  fertility  in  any  part  of  the  Shah's 
dominions.  Here  the  blessed  Saint  landed  in  a  new 
world:  so  may  I  safe  in  Christ  outride  the  storms 
of  life,  and  land  at  last  on  one  of  the  everlasting 
hills! 

"Night  coming  on,  we  lost  our  w^ay,  and  got  in- 
tercepted by  some  deep  ravines,  in  one  of  which  the 
horse  that  carried  my  trunk  sunk  so  deep,  that  the 
water  got  into  one  of  them,  wetted  the  linen,  and 
spoiled  some  books.  Finding  it  in  vah  to  attempt 
gaining  our  munzil,  we  w^ent  to  another  village, 
where,  after  a  long  delay,  tAVo  aged  men,  with  silver 
beards,  opened  their  house  to  us.  Though  near 
midnight,  I  had  a  fire  lighted  to  dry  my  books,  took 
some  coffee,  and  sunk  into  a  deep  sleep,  frora  which 
waking  at  the  earliest  dawn  of  the 

"8. — I  roused  the  people,  and  had  a  delightful 
ride  of  one  parasang  to  Shurror,  distant  four  para- 
sangs  from  Khoock.  Here  I  was  accommodated  by 
the  great  man,  with  a  stable,  or  winter  room;  for 
they  build  it  in  such  a  strange  vicinity,  in  order  to 
have  it  warm  in  winter.  At  present,  while  the 
weather  is  still  hot,  the  smell  is  overpowering  at 
times.  At  eleven  at  night  moved  off,  with  fresh 
horses,  for   Diiwala,  and  though  w^e  had  guides  in 


458  BfEvioiR  OP 

abundance,  we  were  not  able  to  extricate  ourselves 
from  the  ravines  with  which  this  village  is  surround- 
ed. Procuring  another  man  from  a  village  we  ha(>- 
pened  to  wander  to,  we  at  last  made  our  way, 
through  grass  and  mire,  to  the  pass,  which  led  us  to 
a  country  as  dry,  as  the  one  we  had  left  was  wet. — 
Ararat  was  now  quite  near:  at  the  foot  of  it  is 
Duwala,  six  parasangs  from  Nackshan,  where  we 
arrived  at  seven  in  the  morning  of  the 

'•9. — As  I  had  been  thinking  all  night  of  a  He- 
brew letter,  I  perceived  little  of  the  tediousness  of 
the  way.  1  tried  also  some  difficulties  in  the  I6th 
Psalm,  without  being  able  to  master  them.  All  day 
at  the  15th  and  16th  Psalms  and  gained  some  light 
into  the  difficulties.  The  villagers  not  bringing  the 
horses  in  time,  we  were  not  able  to  go  on  at  night, 
but  I  was  not  much  concerned,  as  I  thereby  gained 
some  rest. 

"10. — All  day  at  the  village,  writing  down  notes 
on  the  15th  and  16th  Psalms.  Moved  at  midnight, 
and  arrived  early  in  the  morning  at  Erivan. 

**11. — I  alighted  at  Hosyn  Khan,  the  Governor's 
Palace,  as  it  may  be  called,  for  he  seems  to  live  in  a 
style  equal  to  that  of  a  Prince.  Indeed,  command- 
ing a  fortress  on  the  frontier,  within  six  hours  of  the 
Russians,  he  is  entrusted  with  a  considerable  force, 
and  is  nearly  independent  of  the  Shah.  After 
sleeping  two  hours,  I  was  summoned  to  his  presence. 
He  at  first  took  no  notice  of  me,  but  continued 
reading  his  Koran,  it  being  the  Mohurum. — After  a 


RET.    HExXRV    MARTYIf.  439 

compliment  or  two,  he  resumed  his  devotions.  The 
next  ceremony,  was  to  exchange  a  rich  shawl  dress 
for  a  still  richer  pelisse,  on  pretence  of  its  being 
cold.  The  next  display,  was  to  call  a  physician,  who, 
after  respectfully  feeling  his  pulse,  stood  on  one 
side:  this  was  to  shew  that  he  had  a  domestic  phy- 
sician. His  servants  were  most  richly  clad.  My 
letter  from  the  Ambassador,  which  till  now  had 
lain  neglected  on  the  ground,  was  opened  and  read 
by  a  Moonshee.  He  heard  with  great  interest 
what  Sir  Gore  had  written  about  the  translation  of 
the  Gospel.  After  this  he  was  very  kind  and 
attentive,  and  sent  for  Lieut.  M.  of  the  Engineers, 
who  was  stationed,  w^ith  two  Serjeants,  at  this  fort. 
In  the  afternoon,  the  Governor  sent  for  me  again,  in 
private.  A  fountain,  in  a  basin  of  white  marble, 
was  playing  before  him,  and  in  the  water,  grapes  and 
melons  were  cooling;  two  time-pieces  were  before 
him,  to  shew  how  near  the  time  of  lawful  repast 
was;  below  the  window,  at  a  great  depth,  ran  a 
broad  and  rapid  stream,  over  rocks  and  stones,  un- 
der a  bridge  of  two  arches,  producing  an  agreeable 
murmur;  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  were  gar- 
dens, and  a  rich  plain;  and  directly  in  front,  Ararat. 
He  was  now  entirely  free  from  ceremony,  but  too 
much  fatigued  to  converse.  I  tried  to  begin  a 
religious  discussion,  by  observing,  Hhat  he  was  in 
one  Paradise  now,  and  was  in  quest  of  another 
hereafter,'  but  this  remark  produced  no  effect.  He 
ordered  for  me,  a  Mihmander,  a  guard,  and  four 


460  ^MEMOIR  OF 

horses,  with  which  a  Turk  had  just  come  from 
Cars.  Lieut.  M.  dined  and  passed  the  rest  of  the 
evening  with  us. 

^'12. — The  horses  not  being  ready  for  me  accord- 
ing to  my  order,  I  rode  alone,  and  found  my  way  to 
Ech-Miazin,  (or,  Three  Churches.)  two  and  a  half 
parasangs  distant.      Directing    my    course    to    the 
largest  Church,  I  found  it  enclosed  with  some  other 
buildings  and  a  Vv^all.     Within  the  entrance,  I  found 
a    large    court,   with    naonks,  cowled  and  gowned, 
moving  about  it.     On  seeing  my  Armenian  letters, 
they  brought  me  to  the  Patriarch's  lodge,  w^here  I 
found   two  Bishops,  one  of  whom    was   Nestus,  at 
breakfast  on  pilaws,  kubabs,  wine,  arrack,  «fec.  and 
Serafino  with  them.     As  he  spoke  English,  French, 
and  Italian,  I  had   no  difficultv    in  coramunicatins: 
with  my  hosts.     After  breakfast,  Serafino   shewed 
me  the  room  appointed  for  me,  and  sat  down  and 
told  me  his  story.     His  proper  name,  in  x\rmenian, 
is  Serope;  he  was  born  at  Erzerum,  of  Armenian 
Catholic  parents.     His  father  dying  when  he  was 
young,  his  mother  entrusted  him  to  the  care  of  the 
Missionaries,  to  be  carried  to  Rome  to  be  educated. 
There  he  studied  eight  years,  and  became  perfectly 
Europeanised.   At  eighteen  or  twenty  he  left  Rome, 
and  repaired  to    Mount  Libanus,  where    he    wa9 
ordained,  and   where  also  his   eyes   were   opened 
to  the  falsehood  of  the  Pope's  pretensions.     After 
this,  he  served  the  Armenian  Church  at  Erzerum, 
and  then  at  Car?.,  after  which  he  went  to  Bagdad. 


REY.  HENRY  MARTYN.  46) 

ReceiYing  at  this  time  an  inYitation  from  the  Patri- 
arch at  Ech-Miazin,  to  join  their  body,  he  consented, 
on  condition  that  he  should  not  be  considered  a 
common  monk;  and  accordingly  he  is  regarded  with 
that  deference  which  his  superior  talent  and  inform- 
ation demand.  He  is  exerting  himself  to  extend  his 
influence  in  the  Monastery,  for  the  purpose  of  exe- 
cuting some  plans  he  has  formed  for  the  improve- 
ment of  the  Armenians.  The  Monastery,  and  con- 
sequently the  whole  of  the  Armenians,  are  under 
the  direction  of  Nestus,  one  of  the  Bishops,  for  the 
Patriarch  Ephraim  is  a  mere  cypher,  and  most  of 
his  time  is  in  bed.  About  three  years  ago,  Nestus 
succeeded  in  forming  a  Synod  for  the  management 
of  the  business  of  the  Church,  consisting  of  eight 
Bishops,  in  which,  of  course,  he  is  all  powerful. 
The  Patriarch  is  elected  by  twelve  Bishops.  One 
member  alone  of  the  Synod  is  si  man  of  any  ability, 
and  he  sometimes  ventures  to  differ  from  Nestus. 
The  object  which  Serope  has  at  heart,  is  a  College, 
to  teach  the  Armenian  youth  logic,  rhetoric,  and  the 
other  sciences.  The  expediency  of  this  is  acknowl- 
edged, but  they  cannot  agree  about  the  place  where 
the  College  should  be.  Serope,  considering  the 
danger  to  which  the  Cathedral  seat  is  exposed,  from 
its  situation  between  Russia,  Persia,  and  Turkey,  is 
for  building  it  at  Teflis.  Nestus,  on  the  contrary, 
conceiving  that  Ech-Miazin  is  the  spot  appointed  by 
Heaven,  according  to  a  vision  of  Gregory,  for  the 
Cathedral  seat,  and  so  sanctified,  is  for  having  it 
rj9 


462  MEMOIR    OF 

here.     The  errors  and  superstitions  of  his  people^ 
were  the  subject  of  Serope's  conversation  the  whole 
morning,  and  seemed  to  be  the  occasion  of  real  grief 
to  him.     He  intended,  he   said,  after  a  few  more 
months  trial  of  what  he  could  do  here,  to  retire  to 
India,  and  then  write  and  print  some  works  in  Ar- 
menian, tending  to  enlighten  the  people  with  regard 
to  religion,  in  order  to  introduce  a  reform.     I  said 
all  I  could  think  of  to  encourage  him  in  such  a  bless- 
ed work,  promising  him  every  aid  from  the  English, 
and  proving  to  him,  from  the  example  of  Luther 
and  the  European  reformers,  that,  however  ardu- 
ous the  work  might  seem,  God  would  surely  be  with 
him  to  help  him  on.     I  mentioned  the  awful  neglect 
of   the   Armenian   Clergy,  in  never   preaching,  as 
thereby  the  glad  tidings  of  a  Savior  were  never 
proclaimed.     He  made  no  reply  to  this,  but  'that  it 
was  to  be  lamented,  as  the  people  were  never  called 
away  from  vice.'     When  the  bell  rang  for  vespers, 
we  went  together  to  the  great  Church.     The  Ec- 
clesiastics, consisting  of  ten  Bishops,  and  other  monks, 
with  the  choristers,  were  drawn  up  in  a  semi-circle 
fronting  the  altar,  for  a  view  of  which  the  Church 
door  was  left  open.     Serope  fell  into  his  place,  and 
went  through  a  few  of  the  ceremonies;  he  then  took 
me  into  the  Church,  never  ceasing  to  remark  upon 
the  ignorance  and  superstition  of  his  people.    Some 
of  his  Catholic  prejudices  against  Luther  seemed  to 
remain.     The  monks  dined  all  together  in  the  hall 
at  eleven;  at  night  each  sups  in  his  own  room.     Se- 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  463 

rope,  Nestus,  and  two  or  three  others,  form  a  party 
of  themselves,  and  seldom  dine  in  the  hall,  where 
coarseness,  both  of  meals  and  men,  too  much  pre- 
vails. 

"13. — I  asked  Serope  about  the   16th  Psalm  in 
the  Armenian  version;  he  translated  it  into  correct 
Latin.     In  the  afternoon  I  waited  on  the  Patriarch: 
it  was  a  visit  of  great  ceremonv-     He  was  reclining 
on  a  sort  of  throne,  placed  in  the  middle  of  the 
room.     All  stood  but    the  two   senior  Bishops;    a 
chair  was  set  for  me  on  the  other  side,  close  to  the 
Patriarch;  at  my  right  hand  stood  Serope,  to  inter- 
pret.    The  Patriarch  wore  a  dignified,  rather  than 
a  venerable  appearance.     His  conversation  consist- 
ed in  protestations  of  sincere  attachment,  in  expres- 
sions of  his  hopes  of  deliverance  from  the  Mahome- 
tan yoke,  and  inquiries  about  my  translation  of  the 
Scriptures;   and  he  begged  me  to  consider  myself  as 
at  home  in  the  Monastery.     Indeed,  their  attention 
and  kindness  are  unbounded:  Nestus  and  vSerope  an- 
ticipate my  every  wish.     I  told  the  Patriarch,  that 
I  was  so  happy  in  being  here,  that,  did  duty  permit, 
I  could  be  almost  willing  to  become  a  monk  with 
them.     He  smiled,  and  fearing  perhaps  that  I  w^as 
in  earnest,  said,  that  they  had  quite  enough.     Their 
number  is  a  hundred,  I   think.     The  Church  was 
immensely  rich,  till  about  ten  years  ago,  when,  by 
quarrels  between  two  contending  Patriarchs,  one 
of  whom  is  still  in  the  Monastery  in  disgrace,  most 
of  the  money  was  expended  by  referring  their  dis- 


464  MEMOIR    OF 

putes  to  the  Mahometans  as  arbitrators.  There  is 
no  dilliculty,  however,  in  replenishing  their  coffers: 
their  merchants  in  India  are  entirely  at  their  com- 
mand. 

"15. — Spent  the  day  in  preparing,  with  Serope, 
for  the  mode  of  travelling  in  Turkey.  All  my 
heavy  and  expensive  preparations  at  Tebriz  prove 
to  be  incumbrances,  which  must  be  left  behind;  so 
my  trunks  were  exchanged  for  bags;  my  portable 
table  and  chair,  several  books,  large  supplies  of 
sugar,  Sic,  were  condemned  to  be  left  behind.  My 
humble  equipments  were  considered  as  too  mean  for 
an  English  gentleman,  so  Serope  gave  me  an  Eng- 
lish bridle  and  saddle.  The  roads  in  Turkey  being 
much  more  infested  by  robbers  than  Persia,  a  sword 
was  brought  for  me.  My  Armenian  servant,  Ser- 
gius,  was  to  be  armed  with  a  gun  and  sword,  but  it 
was  determined  that  he  was  unfit  for  the  journey; 
so  a  brave  and  trusty  man  of  the  Monastery,  named 
MeJGora,  was  appointed  in  his  stead,  and  he  had 
arms  of  his  own — he  speaks  nothing  but  Turkish. 

"16. — I  conversed  again  with  Serope  on  his  pro- 
jected reformation.  As  he  was  invited  to  Ech- 
Miazin  for  the  purpose  of  educating  the  Armenian 
youtli  for  the  ministry,  he  has  a  riijht  to  dictate  in 
all  that  concerns  that  matter.  His  objection  to 
Ech-Miazin  is,  that  from  midnight  to  sunrise  all  the 
members  of  the  Monastery  must  attend  prayers; 
this  requires  all  to  be  in  bed  immediately  after  sun- 
set.    The  monks    are  chiefly  from   the  neighbor- 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  465 

hood  of  Erivan,  and  were  originally  singing  boys: 
into  such  hands  is  this  rich  and  powerful  founda- 
tion fallen.  They  have  no  vows  upon  them  but 
those  of  celibacy." 

The  hospitable  and  benevolent  conduct  of  the 
interesting*  Society  at  Ech-Miazin,  made  a  deep 
impression  upon  the  feeling  mind  of  their  guest: — 
received  by  them  as  a  brother,  he  left  them  with 
sentiments  of  fraternal  regard,  and  no  doubt  his 
heart  swelled  with  grateful  recollections  of  peculiar 
strength,  when  the  kindness  he  had  experienced  in 
the  bosom  of  an  Armenian  Monastery,  was  brought 
into  contrast  with  that  Mahometan  inhospitality  and 
cruelty,  to  which  in  a  short  time  he  was  subjected. 
— "At  six  in  the  morning  of  the  17th  of  September, 
(Mr.  Martyn  writes,)  accompanied  by  Serope,  one 
Bishop,  the  Secretary,  and  several  servants  of  the 
Monastery,  I  left  Ech-Miazin.  My  party  now  con- 
sisted of  two  men  from  the  Governor  of  Erivan,  a 
Mihmander,  and  a  guard;  my  servant  Sergius,  for 
whom  the  monks  interceded,  as  he  had  some  busi- 
ness at  Constantinople;  one  trusty  servant  from  the 
Monastery,  Melcom,  who  carried  my  money;  and 
two  baggage  horses,  with  their  owners.  The 
monks  soon  returned,  and  we  pursued  our  way  in 
the  plain  of  Ararat.  At  twelve  o'clock,  reached 
Quila-Gazki,  about  six  parasangs  from  Ech-Miazin. 

*  For  the  interest  the  Armenians  excite,  (in  a  Missionary  point  of  view,) 
see  Dr.  Buchanan's  Christian  Researches. 


466  MEMOIR    OF 

The  Mihmander  rode  on,  and  got  a  good  place  ready 
for  me. 

"18. — Rose  with  the  dawn,  in  hopes  of  going 
this  stage  before  breakfast,  but  the  horses  were 
not  ready.  I  set  off  at  eight,  fearing  no  sun,  though 
I  found  it  at  times  very  oppressive  when  there  was 
no  w^ind.  At  the  end  of  three  hours,  we  left  the 
plain  of  Ararat,  the  last  of  the  plains  of  modern 
Persia  in  this  quarter.  Meeting  here  with  the 
Araxes  again,  I  undressed  and  plunged  into  the 
stream;  while  hastening  forward,  w^ith  the  trusty 
Melcom,  to  rejoin  my  party,  we  were  overtaken  by 
a  spearman,  with  a  lance  of  formidable  length.  I 
did  not  think  it  likely  that  one  man  would  venture 
to  attack  two,  both  armed;  but  the  spot  w^as  a 
noted  one  for  robbers,  and  very  well  calculated,  by 
its  solitariness,  for  deeds  of  privacy:  however,  he 
was  friendly  enough.  He  had,  however,  nearly 
done  me  a  mischief  On  the  bank  of  the  river  we 
sprung  a  covey  of  partridges:  instantly  he  laid  his 
long  lance  under  him,  across  the  horse's  back,  and 
fired  a  horse  pistol  at  them.  His  horse  starting  at 
the  report,  came  upon  mine,  with  the  point  of  the 
spear  directly  towards  me,  so  that  I  thought  a 
wound  for  myself  or  horse  was  inevitable;  but  the 
spear  passed  under  my  horse.  We  were  to  have 
gone  to  Hagi-Buhiren,  but  finding  the  head  man  of 
it  at  a  village  a  few  furlongs  nearer,  we  stopped 
there.  We  found  him  in  a  shed  outside  the  walls, 
reading  his  Koran,  with  his  sword,  gun,  and  pistol 


REV.    HENRY   MARTYN.  467 

at  his  side.  He  was  a  good-natured  farmer-like 
looking  man,  and  spoke  in  Persian.  He  chanted 
the  Arabic  Avith  great  readiness,  and  asked  me, 
whether  I  knew  what  that  book  was?  'Nothing  less 
than  the  great  Koran.' 

"19. — Left  the  village  at  seven  in  the  morning, 
and  as  the  stage  was  reputed  very  dangerous,  owing 
to  the  vicinity  of  the  famous  Cara  Beg,  my  Mihman- 
der  took  three  armed  men  from  the  village  in  addi- 
tion to  the  one  we  brought  from  Erivan.  We  contin- 
ued going  along  through  the  pass  two  or  three  par- 
asangs,  and  crossed  the  Araxes  three  times.  We 
then  ascended  the  mountains  on  the  north,  by  a  road, 
if  not  so  steep,  jet  as  long  and  difficult  as  any  of  the 
cotuls  of  Bushire.  On  the  top,  we  found  table  land, 
along  which  we  moved  many  a  tedious  mile,  expect- 
ing every  minute  that  we  should  have  a  view  of  a 
fine  campaign  country  below;  but  dale  followed  dale, 
apparently  in  endless  succession,  and  though  at  such 
a  height,  there  was  very  little  air  to  relieve  the  heat, 
and  nothing  to  be  seen  but  barren  rocks.  One  part, 
however,  must  be  excepted,  where  the  prospect 
opened  to  the  north,  and  we  had  a  view  of  the  Rus- 
sian territory;  so  that  at  once  we  saw  Persia,  Russia, 
and  Turkey.  At  length  we  came  to  an  Armenian 
village,  situated  in  a  hollow  of  these  mountains,  on  a 
declivity.  The  village  presented  a  singular  appear- 
ance, being  filled  with  conical  piles  of  peat,  for  they 
have  no  fire  wood.  Around,  there  was  a  great  deal 
of  cultivation,  chiefly  corn.     Most  of  the  low  land 


468  MEMOIR   OF 

from  Tebriz  to  this  place  is  planted  with  cotton, 
palma  Christu^  and  rice.  This  is  the  first  village  in 
Turkey;  not  a  Persian  cap  was  to  be  seen;  the  re- 
spectable people  wore  a  red  Turkish  cap.  The 
great  man  of  the  village  paid  me  a  visit;  he  was  a 
young  Mussulman,  and  took  care  of  all  my  Mussul- 
men  attendants,  but  he  left  me  and  mv  Armenians 
where  he  found  us,  at  the  house  of  an  Armenian, 
without  offering  his  services.  1  was  rather  uncom- 
fortably lodged,  my  room  being  a  thoroughfare  for 
horses,  cows,  buffaloes,  and  sheep.  Almost  all  the 
villao:e  came  to  look  at  me.  The  name  of  this  village 
is  Fiwick,  and  is  distant  six  parasangs  from  the  last; 
but  we  were  eight  hours  accomplishing  it,  and  a  ca- 
fila  would  be  twelve.  We  arrived  at  three  o'clock 
— horses  and  men  much  fatigued. 

"20.^7-From  day-break  to  sunrise  walked,  then 
breakfasted,  and  set  out.  Our  course  lay  north,. 
over  a  mountain,  and  here  danger  was  apprehended; 
it  was,  indeed,  dismally  solitary  all  around.  The 
appearance  of  an  old  castle  on  the  top  of  a  crag, 
was  the  first  occasion  on  which  our  guard  got  their 
pieces  ready,  and  one  rode  forward  to  reconnoitre: 
but  all  there  was  as  silent  as  the  grave.  At  last, 
after  travelling  five  hours,  we  saw  some  men:  our 
guard  again  took  their  places  in  front.  Our  fears 
were  soon  removed,  by  seeing  carts  and  oxen.  Not 
so  the  opposite  ^arty;  for  my  bags^age  was  so  small, 
as  not  easily  to  be  perceived.     They  halted,  there- 

*  A  plant  from  which  Castor  Oil  is  extracted. 


REV.    HEimV    MARTY  If.  469 

lore,  at  the  bottom  towards  which  we  were  both 
descending,  and  those  of  them  who  had  guns  advanc- 
ed in  front,  and  hailed  us.  We  answered  peacefully; 
but  still  distrusting  us  as  we  advanced  nearer,  they 
cocked  their  pieces:  at  this  time  we  came  to  a  par- 
ley. They  were  Armenians,  bringing  wood  from 
Cars  to  their  village  in  the  mountain:  they  were 
hardy,  fine  young  men,  and  some  old  men  with  them 
were  particularly  venerable.  The  dangerous  spots 
being  passed  through,  my  party  began  to  sport  with 
their  horses,  by  gallopping  across  the  path,  brandish- 
ing their  spears  or  sticks;  they  darted  them  just  at 
the  moment  of  wheeling  round  their  horses,  as  if 
that  motion  gave  them  an  advantage.  It  struck  me, 
that  this  was  the  mode  of  fighting  of  the  ancient  Par- 
thians,  which  made  them  terrible  in  flight.  Pres- 
ently after  these  gambols,  the  appearance  of  some 
poor  countrymen  vAih  their  carts  put  it  into  their 
heads  to  have  another  sport;  for  knowing,  from  the 
ill  fame  of  the  spot,  that  we  should  easily  be  taken 
for  robbers,  four  of  them  gallopped  forward,  and  by 
the  tiaie  we  reached  them,  one  of  the  carters  was 
opening  a  bag  to  give  them  something.  I  was,  of 
course,  very  much  displeased,  and  made  signs  to  him 
not  to  do  it. — ;I  then  told  them  all,^s  we  soberly 
pursued  our  course,  that  such  kind  of  sport  was 
punished  with  death  in  England:  they  said,  it  was 
the  Persian  custom.  We  arrived,  at  length,  at 
Ghanikew,  having  rode  six  hours  and  a  half  without 
intermission.  The  Mihmander  was  for  changing  his 
60 


470  MEMOIR   OF 

route  continually,  either  from  real  or  pretended  fear. 
One  of  Cara  Beg's  men  saw  me  at  the  village  last 
night,  and  as  he  would  probably  get  intelligence  of 
mj  intended  route,  it  was  desirable  to  elude  him. 
But,  after  all,  we  went  the  shortest  way,  through 
the  midst  of  danger,  if  there  was  any,  and  a  gracious 
Providence  kept  all  mischief  at  a  distance.  Ghani- 
kew  is  only  two  parasangs  from  Cars,  but  I  stopped 
there,  as  I  saw  it  was  more  agreeable  to  the  people, 
and  besides,  I  wished  to  have  a  ride  before  breakfast. 
I  was  lodged  in  a  stable-room,  but  very  much  at  my 
ease,  as  none  of  the  people  of  the  village  could  come 
at  me  without  passing  through  the  house. 

"21. — Rode  into  Cars.  Its  appearance  is  quite 
European,  not  only  at  a  distance,  but  within.  The 
houses  all  of  stone;  streets  with  carts  passing;  some 
of  the  houses  open  to  the  street;  the  fort  on  an  un- 
commonly high  rock;  such  a  burying  ground  I  never 
saw,  there  must  be  thousands  of  grave  stones.  The 
Mihmander  carried  me  dii'ectly  to  the  Governor, 
who,  having  just  finished  his  breakfast,  w^as,  of 
course,  asleep,  and  could  not  be  disturbed;  but  his 
head  man  carried  me  to  an  Armenian's  house,  with 
orders  to  live  at  free  quarters  there.  The  room  at 
the  Armenian's  was  an  excellent  one,  up  stairs,  facing 
the  street,  fort,  and  river,  with  a  bow  containing  five 
windows,  under  which  were  cushions.  As  soon  as 
the  Pacha  was  visible,  the  chief  Armenian  of  Cars, 
to  whom  I  had  a  letter  from  Bishop  Nestus,  his  re- 
lation, waited  upon  him  on  my  business. — On  looking 


REV.  HENRY  MARTYN.  47 1 

over  my  letters  of  recommendation  from  Sir  Gore 
Ouselev,  I  found  there  was  none  for  Abdp-lla,  the 
Pacha  of  Cars;  however,  the  letter  to  the  Governor 
of  Erivan  secured  all  I  wanted.  He  sent  to  say  1 
was  welcome;  that  if  I  liked  to  stay  a  few  days,  he 
should  be  happy;  but  if  I  was  determined  to  go  to- 
morrow, the  necessary  horses,  and  ten  men  for  a 
guard,  Avere  all  ready.  As  no  wish  was  expressed 
of  seeing  me,  I  was  of  course  silent  on  that  subject 
"22. — Promises  were  made  that  every  thing 
should  be  ready  at  sunrise,  but  it  was  half-past 
nine  before  we  started,  and  no  guard  present  but 
the  Tartar.  He  presently  began  to  shew  his 
nature,  by  flogging  the  baggage-horse  with  his 
long  whip,  as  one  who  was  not  disposed  to  allow 
loitering;  but  one  of  the  poor  beasts  presently  fell 
with  his  load  at  full  length,  over  a  piece  of  timber 
lying  in  the  road.  While  this  was  setting  to  rights, 
the  people  gathered  about  me,  and  seemed  more 
engaged  with  my  Russian  boots  than  with  any 
other  part  of  my  dress.  We  moved  south-west, 
and  after  five  hours  and  a  half  reached  Joula.  The 
Tartar  rode,  and  got  the  coffee-room,  at  the  post- 
house,  ready.  This  coffee-room  has  one  side  raised 
and  covered  with  cushions,  and  on  the  opposite  side 
cushions  on  the  ground;  the  rest  of  the  room  was 
left  with  bare  stones  and  timbers.  As  the  wind 
blew  very  cold  yesterday,  and  I  caught  cold,  the 
Tartar  ordered  a  great  fire  to  be  made.  In  this 
room  I  should  have  been  very  much  to  my  satis- 


'47^ 


MEMOIR   OF 


faction,  had  not  the  Tartar  taken  part  of  the  same 
bench;  and  many  other  people  made  use  of  it  as  a 
pubh'c  room.  They  were  continually  consulting  my 
watch,  to  know  how  near  the  hour  of  eating  ap- 
proached. It  was  evident  that  the  Tartar  was  the 
great  man  here:  the  best  place  he  took  for  himself; 
a  dinner  of  four  or  fiye  dishes  was  laid  before  him. 
When  I  asked  for  eggs,  they  brought  me  rotten 
ones;  for  butter  they  brought  me  ghee.  The  idle 
people  of  the  village  came  all  night,  and  smoked 
till  morning.  It  was  very  cold,  there  being  a  hoar 
frost. 

"23. — ^Our  way,  to-day,  lay  through  a  forest  of 
firs;  and  the  variety  of  prospect  it  afforded,  of  hill 
and  dale,  wood  and  lawn,  was  beautiful  and  romantic. 
No  mark  of  human  workmanship  was  any  where 
visible  for  miles,  except  where  some  trees  had  fallen 
by  the  stroke  of*  the  Avoodman.     We  saw,  at  last,  a 
few  huts  in  the  thickest  clumps,  and  that  was  all  we 
saw  of  the  Curd's,  for  fear  of  whom  I  was  attended 
by  ten  armed  horsemen.     We  frightened  a  com- 
pany of  villagers  again  to-day.     They  were  bringing 
wood  and  grass  from  the  forest,  and  on  seeing  us, 
drew  up.     One  of  our  party  advanced  and  fired; 
such  a  rash  piece  of  sport  I  thought  must  have  been 
followed  by  serious  mischief,  but  all  passed  off  very 
well.     With  the  forest  I  w^as  delighted;  the  clear 
streams  in  the  valleys,  the  lofty  trees  crowning  the 
summit  of  the  hills,  the  smooth  paths  winding  away 
and   losing    themselves    in   the   dark    woods,  and, 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  47^ 

above  all,  the  solitude  that  reigned,  composed  a 
scene  that  tended  to  harmonize  and  solemnize  the 
mind.  What  displays  of  taste  and  magnificence  are 
there  occasionally  on  this  ruined  earth!  Nothing 
was  wanting  to-day  but  the  absence  of  the  Turks, 
to  avoid  tlie  si^ht  and  sound  of  whom  I  rode  on. — 
After  a  ride  of  nine  hours  and  a  half,  we  reached 
Mijingud,  in  the  territory  of  Erzerum;  and  resolved 
not  to  be  annoyed  in  the  same  way  as  last  night,  I 
left  the  Tartar  in  the  undisturbed  possession  of  the 
post-house,  and  took  up  my  quarters  at  an  Arme- 
nian's, where,  in  the  stable-room,  I  expected  to  be 
left  alone;  but  a  Georgian  young  man,  on  his  way 
from  Ech-Miazin,  going  on  a  pilgrimage  to  Moosk, 
where  John  the  Baptist  is  supposed  to  be  buried, 
presuming  on  his  assiduous  attentions  to  me,  con- 
trived to  get  a  place  for  himself  in  the  same  room. 
"24. — A  long  and  sultry  march,  over  many  a  hill 
and  vale.  In  the  way,  two  hours  from  the  last 
stage,  is  a  hot  spring:  the  water  fills  a  pool,  having 
four  porches.  The  porches  instantly  reminded  me 
of  Bethesda's  pool:  they  were  semicircular  arches, 
about  six  feet  deep,  intended  seemingly  for  shelter 
from  the  sun.  In  them  all  my  party  undressed  and 
bathed.  The  Tartar,  to  enjoy  himself  more  per- 
fectly, had  his  calean  to  smoke  while  up  to  his  chin 
in  water.  We  saw  nothing  else  on  the  road  to-day, 
but  a  large  and  opulent  family  of  Armenians,  men, 
w^omen,  and  children,  in  carts  and  carriages,  return- 
ing from  a  pilgrimage   to  Moosk.      After  eleven 


474  MEMOIR   OF 

hours  and  a  half,  including  the  hour  spent  at  the 
warm  spring,  we  were  overtaken  by  the  dusk;  so 
the  Tartar  brought  us  to  Oghoomra,  where  I  was 
placed  in  an  Armenian's  stable-room. 

"25. — Went  round  to  Husur-Quila,  where  we 
changed  horses.  I  was  surprised  to  see  so  strong  a 
fort  and  large  a  town.  From  thence  we  were  five 
hours  and  a  half  to  the  entrance  of  Erzerum.  All 
was  busy  and  moving  in  the  streets,  shops,  artifi- 
cers, &c.  crowds  passing  along.  Those  who  caught 
a  sight  of  us,  were  at  a  loss  to  define  me.  My  Per- 
sian attendants,  and  the  lower  part  of  my  dress, 
made  me  Persian;  but  the  rest  of  the  dress  Avas 
new,  for  those  only  who  had  travelled,  knew  it  to  be 
European.  They  were  not  disposed,  1  thought,  to 
be  civil;  but  the  two  persons  who  preceded  us 
kept  all  in  order.  I  felt  myself  in  a  Turkish  town: 
the  red  cap,  and  stateliness,  and  rich  dress,  and 
variety  of  turbans,  was  realized  as  I  had  seen  it  in 
pictures.  There  are  here  four  thousand  Armenian 
families,  and  but  one  Church;  there  are  scarcely  any 
Catholics,  and  they  have  no  Church. 

"29. — Left  Erzerum,  with  a  Tartar  and  his  son, 
at  two  in  the  afternoon.  We  moved  to  a  village, 
where  I  was  attacked  with  fever  and  ague:  the 
Tartar's  son  was  also  taken  ill,  and  obliged  to  re- 
turn. 

"30. — Travelled  first  to  Ashgula  where  we 
changed  horses,  and  from  thence  to  Purnugaban, 
where  we  halted  for  the  night.     I  took  nothing  all 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  475 

day  but  tea,  and  was  rather  better,  but  headache 
and  loss  of  appetite  depressed  my  spirits;  yet  my 
soul  rests  in  him  who  is  an  anchor  of  the  soul^sure  and 
stedfast^  ivhich,  though  not  seen^  keeps  me  fast. 

"October  1. — Marched  over  a  mountainous  tract: 
we  were  out  from  seven  in  the  morning  till  eight 
at  night.  After  sitting  a  little  by  the  fire,  I  was 
near  fainting  from  sickness.  My  depression  of 
spirits  led  me  to  the  throne  of  grace,  as  a  sinful, 
abject  worm.  When  I  thought  of  myself  and  my 
transgressions,  I  could  find  no  text  so  cheering  as, 
'My  ways  are  not  as  your  ways.'  By  the  men  who 
accompanied  Sir  William  Ouseiey  to  Constantinople, 
I  learned  that  the  plague  was  raging  at  Constanti- 
nople, and  thousands  dying  every  day.  One  of  the 
Persians  had  died  of  it.  They  added,  that  the 
inhabitants  of  Tocat  were  flying  from  their  town 
from  the  same  cause.  Thus  I  am  passing  inevitably 
into  imminent  danger.  O  Lord,  thy  will  be  done! 
Living  or  dying,  remember  me! 

"2. — Some  hours  before  day,  sent  to  tell  the 
Tartar  I  was  ready;  but  Hasan  Aga  was  for  once 
rivetted  to  his  bed.  However,  at  eight,  having  got 
strong  horses,  he  set  off  at  a  great  rate,  and  over 
the  level  ground  he  made  us  gallop  as  fast  as  the 
horses  would  go,  to  Chiflick,  wnere  we  arrived  at 
sunset.  I  was  lodged,  at  my  request,  in  the  stable 
of  the  post-house,  not  liking  the  scrutinizing  impu- 
dence of  the  fellows  who  frequent  the  coffee-room. 
As  soon  as  it  began  to  grow  a  little  cold,  the  ague 


47G  ^MEMOIR    OF 

came  on,  and  then  the  fever;  after  which  I  had  a 
sleep,  that  let  me  know  too  plainly  the  disorder  of 
my  frame.  In  the  night,  Hasan  sent  to  summon  me 
avv^ay,  but  I  was  quite  unable  to  move.  Finding  me 
still  in  bed  at  the  dawn,  he  began  to  storm  furiously 
at  my  detaining  him  so  long;  but  I  quietly  let  him 
spend  his  ire,  ate  my  breakfast  composedly,  and  set 
out  at  eight.  He  seemed  determined  to  make  up 
for  the  delay,  for  we  flew  over  hill  and  vale  to 
Sherean,  where  he  changed  horses.  From  thence 
we  travelled  all  the  rest  of  the  day  and  all  night;  it 
rained  most  of  the  time.  Soon  after  sunset  the 
ague  came  on  again,  which,  in  my  wet  state,  was 
very  trying;  I  hardly  knew  how  to  keep  my  life  in 
me.  About  that  time  there  w^as  a  village  at  hand — 
but  Hasan  had  no  mercy.  x\t  one  in  the  morning, 
"we  found  two  men  under  a  wain,  with  a  good  fire; 
they  could  not  keep  the  rain  out,  but  their  fire  was 
acceptable.  I  dried  my  lower  extremities,  allayed 
the  fever  by  drinking  a  good  deal  of  water,  and 
went  on.  We  had  little  rain,  but  the  night  was 
pitchy  dark,  so  that  I  could  not  see  where  the  road 
was  under  my  horse's  i'eet  However,  God  being 
mercifully  pleased  to  alleviate  my  bodily  sufferings, 
I  went  on  contentedly  to  the  munzil,  where  we  ar- 
rived at  break  of  day. — After  sleeping  three  or 
four  hours,  I  was  visited  by  an  Armenian  merchant, 
for  whom  I  had  a  letter.  Hasan  was  in  great  fear 
of  being  arrested  here:  the  Governor  of  the  city 
had  vowed  to  make  an  example  of  him,  for  riding  to 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  477 

death  a  horse  belonging  to  a  man  of  this  place.  He 
begged  that  I  would  shelter  him,  in  case  of  danger; 
his  being  claimed  by  an  Englishman,  he  said,  would 
be  a  sufficient  security.  I  found,  however,  that  I 
had  no  occasion  to  interfere.  He  hurried  me  away 
from  this  place  without  delay,  and  galloppcd  furi- 
ously towards  a  village,  which,  he  said,  was  four 
hours  distance,  which  was  all  I  could  undertake  in 
my  present  weak  state;  but  village  after  village  did 
he  pass,  till  night  coming  on,  and  no  signs  of  anoth- 
er, I  suspected  that  he  was  carrying  me  on  to  the 
munzil;  so  I  got  off  my  horse,  and  sat  upon  the 
ground,  and  told  him,  'I  neither  could  nor  would  go 
any  further.'  He  stormed,  but  I  was  immoveable, 
till  a  light  appearing  at  a  distance,  I  mounted  my 
horse,  and  made  towards  it,  leaving  him  to  follow, 
or  not,  as  he  pleased.  He  brought  in  the  party, 
but  would  not  exert  himself  to  get  a  place  for  me. 
They  brought  me  to  an  open  verandah,  but  Sergius 
told  them  I  wanted  a  place  in  which  to  be  alone. 
This  seemed  very  offensive  to  them;  'And  why- 
must  he  be  alone?'  they  asked;  ascribing  this  desire 
of  mine  to  pride,  I  suppose.  Tempted  at  last,  by 
money,  they  brought  me  to  a  stable-room,  and  Hasan 
and  a  number  of  othei's  planted  themselves  there 
v/ith  me.  My  fever  here  increased  to  a  violent 
degree;  the  heat  in  my  eyes  and  forehead  was  so 
great,  that  the  fire  almost  made  me  frantic.  I  en- 
treated that  it  might  be  put  out,  or  that  I  might  be 
carried  out  of  doors.  Neither  was  attended  to:  my 
Gl 


478  ^  MExAIOIR    OF 

servant,  who,  from  my  sitting  in  that  strange  way 
on  tiie  ground,  beHeved  me  dehrious,  was  deaf  to 
all  I  said.  At  last  I  pushed  my  head  in  among  the 
luggage,  and  lodged  it  on  the  damp  ground,  and 
slept. 

"5. — Preserving  mercy  made  me  see  the  light  of 
another  morning.  The  sleep  had  refreshed  me, 
but  I  was  feeble  and  shaken;  yet  the  merciless 
Hasan  hurried  me  off.  The  munzil,  however,  being 
not  distant,  I  reached  it  without  much  difficulty.  I 
expected  to  have  found  it  another  strong  fort  at  the 
end  of  the  pass,  but  it  is  a  poor  little  village,  within 
the  jaws  of  the  mountains.  I  was  pretty  well 
lodged,  and  tolerably  well  till  a  little  after  sunset^ 
when  the  ague  came  on  with  a  violence  I  never  be- 
fore experienced.  I  felt  as  if  in  a  palsy,  my  teeth 
chattering,  and  my  whole  frame  violently  shaken. 
Aga  Hosyn  and  another  Persian,  on  their  way  here 
from  Constantinople,  going  to  Abbas  Mirza,  whom  I 
had  just  before  been  visiting,  came  hastily  to  render 
me  assistance  if  they  could.  These  Persians  appear 
quite  brotherly,  after  the  Turks.  While  they 
pitied,  Hasan  sat  with  perfect  indifference  ruminating 
on  the  further  delay  this  was  likely  to  occasion. 
The  cold  fit,  after  continuing  two  or  three  hours,  was 
followed  by  a  fever,  which  lasted  the  whole  night, 
and  prevented  sleep. 

"6. — No  horses  being  to  be  had,  I  had  an  unex- 
pected repose.  I  sat  in  the  orchard,  and  thought, 
with  sweet  comfort  and  peace,  of  my  God;  in  soli- 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  479 

tude — my  company,  my  friend,  and  comforter.  0! 
when  sliail  time  give  place  to  Eternity!  When  shall 
appear  that  new  heaven  and  new  earth  wherein 
dwelleth  rigKteousness!  There — there  shall  in  no 
w^ise  enter  in  any  thing  that  defileth:  none  of  that 
wickedness  that  has  made  men  worse  than  wild 
beasts— none  of  those  corruptions  that  add  still 
more  to  the  miseries  of  mortality,  shall  be  seen  or 
heard  of  any  more." 

Scarcely  had  Mr.  Martyn  breathed  these  aspira- 
tions after  that  state  of  blissful  purity,  for  which  he 
had  attained  such  a  measure  of  meetness,  when  h© 
was  called  to  exchange  a  condition  of  pain,  weakness, 
and  suftering,  for  that  everlasting  "rest  which  re- 
maineth  for  the  people  of  God."  At  Tocat,  on  the 
16th  of  October,  1812,  either  falling  a  sacrifice  to 
the  plague,  which  then  raged  there,  or  sinking  under 
that  disorder,  which,  when  he  penned  his  last  words 
had  so  greatly  reduced  him,  he  surrendered  his  soul 
into  the  hands  of  his  Redeemer. 

The  peculiar  circumstances,  as  well  as  the  par- 
ticular period,  of  his  death,  could  not  fail  of  greatly 
aggravating  the  affliction  of  those  friends  who, 
amidst  anxious  hopes  and  fears,  were  expecting  his 
arrival,  either  in  India  or  England.  He  had  not 
completed  the  thirty-second  year  of  a  life  of  emi- 
nent activity  and  usefulness,  and  he  died  whilst 
hastening  towards  his  native  country,  that  having 
there  repaired  his  shattered  health,  he  might  again 
devote  it  to  the  glory  of  Christ,  amongst  the  nations 


480  MEMOIR    OF 

of  the  East.  There  was  something,  also,  deeply 
affecting  in  the  consideration,  that  where  he  sunk 
into  his  grave,  men  were  strangers  to  him  and  to  his 
God.  No  friendly  hand  was  stretched  out — no  sym- 
pathising voice  heard  at  that  time,  when  the  tender 
offices  of  Christian  affection  are  so  soothing  and  so 
delightful — no  human  bosom  was  there,  on  which 
Mr.  Martyn  could  recline  his  head  in  the  hour  of 
languishing.  Paucioribus  lacrymis  compositus  es^-^-^ 
was  a  sentiment  to  which  the  feelings  of  nature  and 
friendship  responded;  yet  the  painful  reflection  could 
not  be  admitted — In  novissima  luce  desideravcre  ali- 
quid  oculi  tui:\  The  Savior,  doubtless,  was  Avith  his 
servant  in  his  last  conflict,  and  he  with  him  the  instant 
it  terminated. 

So  richly  was  the  mind  of  Mr.  Martyn  endowed 
by  the  God  of  Nature  and  of  Grace,  that  at  no  period 
could  his  death  be  a  subject  of  common  lamentation 
to  those  who  valued  the  interests  of  the  Church  of 
Christ. 

'^He  was  in  our  hearts,"  observed  onej  of  his 
friends  in  India,  "we  honored  him^ — we  loved  him — 
we  thanked  God  for  him — we  prayed  for  his  longer 
continuance  amongst  us — we  rejoiced  in  the  good 'he 
was  doing: — we  are  sadly  bereaved!  Where  such 
fervent  piety,  and  extensive  knowledge,  and  vigorous 

*  Thoii  art  composed  to  rest  ivithfevt  tears:  i.  e.  a  very  few  chosen  friends 
afford  the  expressions  of  their  sympathy  in  the  agonies  of  dissolution. 

t  In  the  hour  of  death,  thine  eyes  lonred  for  some  object  on  -which  they  ' 
Might  rest. 

\  The'  Rev.  Mr.  Thomason. 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  481 

understanding,  and  classical  taste,  and  unwearied  ap- 
plication, were  all  united,  what  might  not  have  been 
expected?  I  cannot  dwell  upon  the  subject  without 
feeling  verj  sad.  I  stand  upon  the  walls  of  Jerusa- 
lem, and  see  the  lamentable  breach  that  has  been 
made  in  them — but  it  is  the  Lord — he  gave,  and  he 
hath  taken  away." 

"Mr.  Marty n,"  (remarks  another*  of  his  friends, 
in  describing,  more  particularly  his  intellectual  en- 
dowments,) "combined  in  himself  certain  valuable, 
but  distinct  qualities,  seldom  found  together  in  the 
same  individual.  The  easy  triumphs  of  a  rapid 
genius  over  first  difficulties  never  left  him  satisfied 
with  present  attainments.  His  mind,  which  nat- 
urally ranged  on  a  wide  field  of  human  knowledge 
lost  nothing  of  depth  in  its  expansiveness.  He  was 
one  of  those  few  persons,  whose  reasoning  faculty 
does  not  suffer  from  their  imagination,  nor  their 
imagination  from  their  reasoning  faculty;  both,  in 
him,  were  fully  exercised,  and  of  a  very  high  order. 
His  mathematical  acquisitions,  clearly  left  him  with- 
out a  rival  of  his  own  age;  and  yet,  to  have  known 
only  the  employments  of  his  more  free  and  unfet- 
tered moments,  would  have  led  to  the  conclusion, 
that  the  Classics  and  poetry  were  his  predominant 
passion." 

But  these  talents,  excellent  as  they  were,  are 
lost  in  the  brightness  of  those  Christian  graces,  by 
which  he  "shone  as  a  light  in  the   world,  holding 

*TheRcv.C.  J.  Hoare. 


482  MEMOIR   OF 

forth  the  word  of  life,"  In  his  faith  there  was  a 
singular,  a  childlike  simplicity;  great,  consequently, 
was  its  energy,  both  in  obeying  Christ,  and  suffer- 
ing for  his  name's  sake!  By  this,  he  could  behold 
blossoms  upon  the  rod,  when  it  was  apparently 
dead;  and  in  those  events  which,  like  the  captain  of 
the  Lord's  host  seen  by  Joshua,  presented  at  first  a 
hostile  aspect — he  could  discern  a  favorable  and  a 
friendly  countenance.  Having  listened  to  that  ten- 
der and  overwhelming  interrogation  of  his  Savior, 
"Lovest  thou  Me?"  his  love  was  fervently  exercised 
towards  God  and  man,  at  all  times,  and  in  all  places! 
For  it  was  not  like  the  land-spring,  which  runs  vio- 
lently for  a  season,  and  then  ceases;  it  resembled 
the  fountain  which  flows  with  a  perennial  stream 
from  the  recesses  of  the  rock.  His  fear  of  God, 
and  tenderness  of  conscience,  and  watchfulness  over 
his  own  heart,  could  scarcely  be  surpassed  in  this 
state  of  sinful  infirmity.  But  it  was  his  humility 
that  was  most  remarkable:  it  might  be  considered 
as  the  warp  of  which  the  entire  texture  of  his  piety 
was  composed;  and  with  this  his  other  Christian 
graces  were  so  intimately  blended,  as  to  beautify 
and  adorn  his  whole  demeanor.  It  was,  in  truth, 
the  accordance  and  consent  of  various  Christian  at- 
tainments in  Mr.  Martyn,  which  were  so  striking. 
The  symmetry  of  his  stature  in  Christ  was  as  sur- 
prising as  its  height  That  communion  which  he 
held  with  his  God,  and  which  caused  his  face  to 
shine,  was  ever  tempered,  like  the  Patriarch's  of 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  483 

old,  with  the  most  awful  reverence.  The  nearer 
the  access  with  which  he  was  favored,  the  more 
deeply  did  he  feel  that  he  was  but  "sinful  dust  and 
ashes."  No  discordance  could  be  discovered  be- 
tween peace  and  penitence:  no  opposition  between 
joy  in  God,  and  utter  abasement  before  him:  and, 
truly,  in  this,  as  in  every  other  respect,  he  had 
thoroughly  imbibed  the  spirit  of  his  own  Church, 
which,  in  the  midst  of  one  of  her  sublimest  hymns 
of  praise,  would  have  her  members  prostrate  them- 
selves before  their  Redeemer  in  these  words  of 
humiliation,  "Thou  that  takest  away  the  sins  of  the 
world,  have  mercy  upon  us." 

To  be  zealous  without  love,  or  to  have  that 
which  is  miscalled  Charity,  without  decision  of  char- 
acter, is  neither  difficult  nor  uncommon.  Mr.  Mar- 
ty n's  zeal  was  tempered  with  love,  and  his  love  in- 
vigorated by  zeal.  He  combined,  also,  ardor  with 
prudence — gravity  with  cheerfulness — abstraction 
from  the  world  with  an  enjoyment  of  its  lawful 
gratifications.  His  extreme  tenderness  of  con- 
science was  devoid  of  scrupulosity;  his  activity  in 
good  works,  was  joined  to  habits  of  serious  contem- 
plation; his  religious  affections,  which  were  highly 
spiritualized,  exceeded  not  the  limits  of  the  most 
cautious  sobriety,  and  were  so  far  from  impairing 
his  natural  affections,  that  they  raised  and  purified 
them. 

Many  sincere  servants  of  Christ  labor  to  attain 
heaven,  but  possess  not  any  joyful  hope  of  reaching 


484  MEMOIR    OF 

it;  many  vain  hypocrites  are  confident  of  tlieir  sal- 
vation, without  striving  to  enter  in  at  the  strait 
gate.  With  the  Apostle,  Mr.  Martyn  could  say, 
"We  are  always  confident,  wherefore  we  labor." 
Together  with  an  assurance  of  his  final  and  ever- 
lasting felicity,  he  had  a  dread  of  declension,  and  a 
fear  of  "losing  the  things  he  had  wrought."  He 
knew  that  the  way  to  heaven  was  narrow,  from  the 
entrance  to  the  end  of  it;  but  he  was  persuaded 
that  Christ  was  with  him,  walking  in  the  way,  and 
that  he  would  never  leave  him  nor  forsake  him. 

As  these  extraordinary,  and  seemingly  contra- 
dictory qualities,  were  not  imparted  to  him  but  by 
the  Spirit  of  God,  so  they  were  not  strengthened 
and  matured  but  in  the  diligent  use  of  the  ordinary 
means  of  grace.  Prayer  and  the  holy  Scriptures 
were  those  wells  of  salvation,  out  of  which  he  drew 
daily  the  living  water.  Truly  did  he  "pray  always, 
with  all  prayer  and  supplication  in  the  Spirit,  and 
watch  thereunto  with  all  perseverance:"  being 
"transformed  by  the  renewing  of  his  mind,"  he  was 
also  ever  "proving  what  was  that  good  and  accept- 
able and  perfect  will  of  God." 

The  Sabbath,  that  sacred  portion  of  time,  set 
apart  for  holy  purposes  in  Paradise  itself,  was  so 
employed  by  him,  as  to  prove  frequently  a  Paradise 
to  his  soul  on  earth,  and  as  certainly  prepared  him 
for  an  endless  state  of  spiritual  enjoyment  hereafter. 

By  "daily  w^eighing  the  Scriptures,"  with  prayer, 
he  "waxed  riper  and  riper  in  his  Ministry,"  in  the 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  485 

execution  of  which  divine  office  there  was  in  him 

an  astonishing  determination  of  soul  for  the  gloiy  of 

his    Savior,   who,  "allowed  him  to  be    put  in  trust 

with  the   Gospel.     Of  the  exceeding  privileges  of 

his  holy  function,  and  of  its  awful  responsibility,  he 

had  the  most  vivid  impressions;    and  such  was  his 

jealousy  of  omitting  any  duty  connected  with  it,  that 

he  deemed  the  work  of  translating  the  Scriptures 

themselves,  no  justifiable  plea  for  inattention  to  any 

of  its   more   immediate   and  direct  engagements. — 

Reviewing  frequently  his  Ordination  vows,   in   that 

affecting  service  in  which  they  were  originally  made, 

he  became  more  and  more  anxious  to  promote  the 

honor  of  his  Redeemer  by   preaching  his  Gospel. 

This,  indeed,  was  the  great  end  for  which  existence 

seemed  desirable  in  his  eyes;    to  effect  which  much 

time  did  he  spend   in  preparing  his  discourses  for 

the  pulpit,  investigating  the  subject  before  him  with 

profound  meditation,  and   perpetual  supplication  to 

the  Father  of  Lights.      Utilis  lectio^' — utllis  cruditio 

— sed  magis  unctio  necessaria,   guippe  qiim  docct  de 

omnihus'\ — were    the    sentiments    of    his    heart. — 

When,  therefore,  he   stood  up  and  addressed  men 

©n  the  entire  depravity  of  man — on  the  justification 

of  the  soul  by  faith  only,  in  Jesus  Christ — on  i\ie 

regenerating  and  progressively  sanctifying  influences 

of  the  Spirit — when,  "knowing  the  terrors  of  the 

*St.  Bernard. 

^Reading  is  useful — learni7ig  valuable — but  unction,  for  divine  teach- 
ingf )  is  more  7iecessary^  because  it  gives  instruction  on  all  points. 

62 


^1^6  IMEMOIR  OF 

Lord,"  he  persuaded  them  to  accept  the  offers  of 
salvation — or  when  he  besought  them,  by  the 
mercies  of  God,  to  present  their  bodies  to  him  as  a 
living  sacrifice — he  spake  "with  uncorruptness — 
gravity — sincerity — with  sound  words  that  could 
not  be  condemned;"  and  none  who  knew  their  souls 
to  be  guilty,  helpless,  accountable,  immortal,  could 
listen  to  his  preaching  unmoved.  In  the  delivery 
of  his  discourses,  his  natural  manner  was  not  good, 
from  a  defect  in  his  enunciation;  this,  however,  was 
more  than  compensated  by  the  solemnity,  affection, 
and  earnestness  of  his  address.  It  should  be  added, 
also,  that  as  practical  subjects  were  discussed  by 
him,  with  constant  reference  to  the  peculiar  doc- 
trines of  the  Gospel;  so  likewise  all  doctrinal  points 
"were  declared  practically,  with  a  view  to  self-appli- 
cation, rather  than  disquisition.  No  one,  as  it  re- 
garded all  doctrine,  could  enter  more  completely 
into  the  spirit  of  those  words,  both  for  himself  and 
others — Malo  sentire  compimctionem  quam  scire  ejus 
definition  em,^ 

With  an  intense  anxiety  to  save  souls,  Mr.  Mar- 
tyn  had  also  an  implicit  reliance  on  that  grace  which 
alone  can  make  men  wise  unto  salvation.  He  Avas 
deeply  conscious  that  "God  giveth  the  increase;" 
and  when  he  did  not  see,  or  thought  he  did  not  see, 
that  increase,  he  meekly  submitted  to  the  Divine 
will,  and  patiently  continued  in  well  doing.    At  such 

'*  1  had  rather  feel  cantritian  than  be  able  to  define  it. 


REV.    HENRY    MARTYN.  4H1 

times,  also,  more  particularly  would  he  turn,  with 
joyful  thankfulness,  to  the  contemplation  of  the  suc- 
cessful labors  of  his  Ministerial  brethren;  for  he  had 
no  mean  and  unholy  envy  respecting  them;  nor  had 
he,  what  is  so  often  alhed  to  it,  an  arrogant,  domi- 
neering temper  towards  his  flock.  His  ambition 
was,  to  be  a  helper  of  their  joy — he  had  no  desire 
to  have  dominion  over  their  faith.  Too  much  had 
he  of  that  beautiful  part  of  a  Minister's  character — 
a  spirit  which  could  sympathize  with  the  poor  and 
afflicted  amongst  his  people — to  court  the  appella- 
tion  of  Rabbi,  and  dogmatize  with  the  air  of  a  Mas- 
ter in  Israel.  He  was  one  of  those  little  ones,  of 
whom  Christ  affirms,  that  whosoever  receiveth 
them,  receiveth  him.  To  no  one,  indeed,  would  he 
give  occasion  to  despise  him;  but  all  the  dignity  to 
which  he  aspired  was  to  be  their  servant,  among 
whom  he  labored  for  Jesus'  sake. 

"A  more  perfect  character,"  says  one  who  bore 
the  burthen  and  heat  of  the  day  with  him  in  India,* 
"I  never  met  with,  nor  expect  to  see  again  on  earth. 
During  the  four  years  we  were  fellow-laborers  in 
this  country,  I  had  no  less  than  six  opportunities  of 
enjoying  his  company,  and  every  opportunity  only 
increased  my  love  and  veneration  for  him." 

With  respect  to  his  labors: — his  own  "works 
praise  him  in  the  gates,"  far  above  human  commen- 
dation* 

*  Tlie  Rev.  D.  Corrie. 


488  MEMOIR    OF 

By  Ijim,  and  by  his  means,  part  of  the  Liturgj 
of  the  Church  of  England,  the  Parables,  and  the 
■whole  of  the  New  Testament,  were  translated  into 
Hindoostanee — a  language  spoken  from  Delhi  to 
Cape  Comorin,  and  intelligible  to  many  millions  of 
immortal  souls.  By  him,  and  by  his  means,  also, 
the  Psalms  of  David  and  the  New  Testament  were 
rendered  into  Persian — the  vernacular  lano^uao^e  of 
t\Yo  hundred  thousand  who  bear  the  Christian 
name,  and  known  over  one-fourth  of  the  habitable 
globe.  By  him,  also,  the  imposture  of  the  Prophet 
of  Mecca  was  daringly  exposed,  and  the  truths  of 
Christianity  openly  vindicated,  in  the  very  heart 
and  centre  of  a  Mahometan  Empire. 

If  success  be  demanded,  it  is  replied — that  this  is 
not  the  inquiry  with  him  "of  whom  are  all  things," 
either  in  this  world,  or  in  that  which  is  to  come. — 
With  him  the  question  is  this:  "What  has  been 
aimed  at:    what  has  been  intended  in  singleness  of 

heart?" 

God,  however,  has  not  left  Mr.  Martyn  without 
Witness  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  heard  him  in 
Europe  and  in  Asia.  Above  forty  adults  and  twenty 
children,  from  the  Hindoos,  have  received  Christian 
Baptism,  all  of  whom,  with  the  exception  of  a  sin- 
gle individual,  were  converted  by  the  instrumen- 
tality of  one  man,*  himself  the  fruit  of  Mr.  Martyn's 
ministry  at  Cawnpore.     At  Shiraz,  a  sensation  has 

*  Abdool  Messee. 


/ 


REV.     RENRY     MARTYN.  489 

been  excited,  which,  it  is  trusted,  will  not  readily 
subside;  and  some  Mahometans  of  consequence 
there,  have  declared  their  conviction  of  the  truth  of 
Christianity — a  conviction  which  Mr.  Martyn  was 
the  means  of  imparting  to  their  minds.  But  when 
it  is  considered,  that  the  Persian  and  Hindoostanee 
Scriptures  are  in  wide  and  extensive  circulation, 
who  can  ascertain  the  consequences  which  may 
have  already  followed,  or  foresee  what  may  here- 
after accrue,  from  their  dispersion?  In  this  respect 
it  is  not  perhaps  too  much  to  apply  to  Mr.  Martyn 
those  words,  which  once  had  an  impious  applica- 
tion:— 

"Ex  quo  nunc  etiara  per  magnos  didita  gentes, 
Diilcia  permulcent  aniraos  solatia  vitse."* 

LUCRET. 

Nor  is  the  pattern  which  he  has  left  behind  him, 
to  be  laid  out  of  our  account,  in  estimating  the 
effects  of  his  holy  and  devoted  life.  He  doubtless 
forsook  all  for  Christ;  he  loved  not  his  life  unto  the 
death.  He  followed  the  steps  of  Zeigenbalgt  in  the 
eld  world,  and  of  Brainerd  in  the  new;  and  whilst  he 
walks  with  them  in  white,  for  he  is  worthy,  he 
speaks,  by  his  example,  to  us  who  are  still  on  our 
warfare  and  pilgrimage  upon  earth.  For  surely 
as  long  as  England  shall  be  celebrated  for  that  pure 
and  apostolical  Church,  of  which  he  was  so  great  an 

*Even  now,  the  sweet  consolations  of  life,  by  him  published  through  great 
nations,  soothe  the  passions  of  men. 

t  See  Archbishop  Wake's  Letter. 


490  IVIEMOIR. 

ornament;  as  long  as  India  shall  prize  that  which  is 
more  precious  to  her  than  all  her  gems  and  gold;  the 
name  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  as  a  Translator 
of  the  Scriptures  and  of  the  Liturgy,  will  not 
wholly  be  forgotten:  and  whilst  some  shall  delight 
to  gaze  upon  the  splendid  sepulchre  of  Xavier,  and 
others  choose  rather  to  ponder  over  the  granite 
stone  which  covers  all  that  is  mortal  of  Swartz; 
there  will  not  be  wanting  those  who  will  think  of 
the  humble  and  unfrequented  grave  of  Henry 
Martyn,  and  be  led  to  imitate  those  works  of  mercy, 
which  have  followed  him  into  the  world  of  light 
and  love. 


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